Part 1: Background and the UK Internet

Stuart, your company makes its living off of the Web, but was there a specific "defining moment" when you knew your future lay on the Internet?
If I had to pick a defining moment, it would be my first meeting with my business partner, Patrick Verdon. We met in mid-1995 and it was then that Patrick's enthusiasm for the web effectively "sold" the Internet to me as the way of the future.

You originally studied Management Science and Computing at university. How have the skills you learned then helped you in building your company?
Very little of the course I took at university has been directly useful in running my business ventures. However, the intangible benefits of a university life, such as improved interpersonal skills and refined lateral thinking, have helped me the most.

Your company, KAN, is located in Cambridge - arguably the center of the Internet revolution in the UK, even perhaps in Europe. Did you choose to locate the company in Cambridge on that basis, or were other factors involved?
When I first moved to Cambridge the Internet did not figure in my future plans at all. It is possibly one of my biggest slices of good fortune that my search for a job after graduation brought me to the place that was to feature most prominently in the development of the Internet in the UK.

KAN has recently taken on more staff. Did recruiting the right talent prove difficult, and is there a lot of competition amongst local companies for the right people? Has this expansion allowed you to focus more on growing the business?
It was extremely difficult to recruit the right type of staff and more importantly people with the right attitude to fit in to our business. As a small company, it is vital that new recruits are compatible with the personality of the existing employees. I would say that personal qualities are far more important than technical ability. It took us approximately 8 months to find two new members of staff, but we feel that this time was a worthwhile investment. The new members of the team have certainly helped me to commit more time to business strategy and the future development of KAN.

At KAN, you do everything from web design through to programming, client support, new business development and advertising. Where would you say your primary strengths lie, and how did you go about picking up the other skills you need to fulfill your role?
Definitely my most useful skill is being able to deal with people of varying degrees of technical expertise. I have the ability to explain our technology in terms that people can understand. For most people an Internet project involves a very steep learning curve and it is up to me to make sure they make informed decisions at every step. In that way, we can be sure that they will be happy with the solution we provide.

I find that for most problems there is a resource on the web that I can use or, failing that, there is usually someone out there who is willing to give some helpful advice.

How would you say the Internet scene in the UK has changed in the last few years, and what was the impact of the stock market correction in the Spring? Has the UK caught up with the US, or is it still marching one step behind when it comes to Internet business?
I think that in general businesses have become a lot more ambitious and creative with their use of Internet technology in the last two years. So, in that respect the UK is certainly leading the way within Europe and is probably a lot closer to the US than it was two years ago.

At KAN, we have been relatively unaffected by the DOT.COM bubble and subsequent downturn in the fortunes of these companies. Our philosophy has always been to establish a stable business and although we are involved in some DOT.COM ventures, we still see ourselves very much as an Internet service company. Hence, we are less susceptible to the vagaries of the Internet bandwagon than some of the more high-profile successes and failures.

Continued...