By Business & Finance 
Ian Hobbs, Sales Manager, Big Red Cloud
Ian Hobbs, Sales Manager, Big Red Cloud, takes on the Business & Finance 60-second interview challenge.
Q. What was your first job? I had many jobs growing up, from office janitor to barman and lounge boy. But the first ‘proper’ job was as owner of a tiling company. Owning a business at a young age taught me some invaluable lessons in business. Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? There’s a lot that I’m proud of both in a business and a personal capacity. But a recent achievement would be the success my Big Red Cloud team have had – we exceeded our 2017 annual sales targets. That was a great triumph. We worked so hard last year and it’s so satisfying to see it pay off – not just for me but for everyone else who invested their time and energy. Q. How do you define success? Sense of accomplishment. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Celebrate the small wins on a big journey. I try to be mindful of this at all times. Keeping perspective is so important. Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff? Targets and numbers play a big part in my role as sales manager. There’s no doubt that when it comes to sales, financial incentives are one of the primary drivers behind a highly-productive team. It goes without saying, however, that your employees must first be happy in their role before they can be productive – and it’s part of my job to make sure they are. Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for a day, who would it be and why? To be honest I’m pretty happy stepping into my own shoes every day – because I love my job and I’m really happy with where I am on my career path. But if I had to be someone else, then I think I’d have to say Michael O’Leary. I admire the fact that he has remained very much a hands-on director of his business. And it intrigues me how he seems to talk his way both into and out of trouble while, arguably, always coming out on top! He is also a proud Irish man that has opened the skies of Europe. Q. How do you relax? Music – I play guitar and other instruments and have a deep passion for all music. Q. What’s your motto? Treat others how you would like to be treated. This is one that’s stuck with me from childhood – it applies at all ages and in all aspects of your life. I think showing people kindness and respect comes full circle. Q. What are your aspirations for the future of the business? I’m heavily invested in Big Red Cloud’s future. We share a common goal and that is to evolve as a business with a strong ethos, while using these principles to guide us as we seek to increase market share and grow the company. We are currently focused on new markets, all the while investing heavily in product development. We have some exciting features on the horizon, such as automated bank feeds and much more that will allow us to continue in the delivery of a best-in-class service for clients, and that will enable us shine and grow in a noisy, competitive marketplace.
Targets and numbers play a big part in my role as sales manager. There’s no doubt that when it comes to sales, financial incentives are one of the primary drivers behind a highly-productive team.
Big Red Cloud started out as Big Red Book, an on-premise accounting software. For over 20 years its accounting software has been making it easier for small businesses, their accountants and bookkeepers to manage their accounts.
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