Nicola Hartland says she lives and breathes entrepreneurship – and the evidence is there for all to see.
When COVID-19 hit and the locked-down population frantically searched for masks and sanitiser, she set about building a business amid the chaos.
Just Sanitise, set up in her native Aberdeen, rapidly became a World Health Organisation-approved sanitiser company which supplied over 300 supermarkets in the UK and seven European countries.
“We were a key supplier for the NHS and I’m proud to say that a percentage of the profits were donated to several NHS charities,” she tells TechBlast, before acknowledging that her contacts book was crucial.
“People vouching for me was so crucial when scaling Just Sanitise. Mid-pandemic, I had to source ethanol, plastic containers, locate a manufacturing plant and set up distribution channels: without having people believe in my mission, this would have simply not been possible.”
Entrepreneur at heart
Hartland, 42, has founded, built and sold several businesses, starting with Xcel Sales in 2013.
“As a young woman growing up in Aberdeen, I always knew that I wanted to start my own business. After a few short years in technology sales, I founded my first company at the age of 25, focused on sales and lead generation,” she explains.
“I knew straight away that the process of building and scaling a business was what I was made to do.”
iCaaS, an IT channel-based solution that simplified GDPR data compliance and protection for SME businesses, followed. She retains an interest in the Basingstoke company to this day.
“I quickly realised that there was nothing on the market to help fast-growing businesses, like my own, with GDPR. So, I set about finding my own solution to the problem,” says Hartland. “After raising £1.3m, I developed software and built a channel sales model that led to [accountancy, payroll and HR giant] IRIS Software white-labelling my solution.”
Falanx Cyber
When Falanx Cyber – part of publicly listed Reading-headquartered Falanx Group – sought someone earlier this year to realise its ambitious growth plans via an ‘entrepreneurial edge’, Hartland fit the bill.
“I was asked to create a ‘business within a business’, heading up a new specialist arm dedicated to growth,” she explains. “It was a challenge I couldn’t turn down. The opportunity to bring together my passion for scaling businesses with my knowledge of the IT world, all at a time when the cyber industry has never been more important… is why I have such high ambitions for Falanx.
“I want to double the turnover of the company in the next 18 months, expanding our core business offerings through brand building, direct sales and new channel partnerships – ultimately establishing Falanx as the ‘go to’ cyber partner for SME businesses.”
Hartland, who has also recently set up Horizon Property Investments – a property investment company with a rapidly growing portfolio – has already secured a contract for Falanx with Czech cyber giant ESET. “Knowing your worth is the greatest attribute when launching and scaling businesses. Having conviction in your own work and strategy can have a transformational effect on the business, and its valuation.
“This translates into all aspects of the business. When you’re fundraising, for example, it’s only 20% about the product or service. Investors are more interested in investing in YOU – your ideas, your potential, and your ability.
“It’s why it’s so important to value yourself and the ideas you bring to the table equally to more ‘tangible’ assets.
“You need to live and breathe entrepreneurship, and be goals-orientated: for me, the excitement of landing a big deal, or driving my team to achieve, is what gets me up in the morning and puts that fire in my belly to get out there.”
She adds: “If you fail or make a mistake, that’s fine. Learn from it. I always say to my team ‘if we fail, we fail fast‘ – but maintain drive, focus and determination to achieve. Then, we will hit the target we’re aiming for.”
Falanx Cyber identifies areas of cyber risk threatening the integrity of businesses and provides complete end-to-end managed security services to alleviate those risks – combining managed detection and response (MDR) services with penetration testing, incident response and consultancy.
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Diversity in cybersecurity
Cyber security is an industry in dire need of greater diversity, with women making up just a quarter of the workforce. Hartland, a former chief revenue officer and board member at Cybercrowd, says entering such sectors can be daunting for young women.
“One of my biggest lessons was finding the right mentor to champion my development – this was hugely useful and is something I’d recommend to all women, no matter the sector,” she says.
“It’s also a great way to give back. I now find mentorship and developing young talent incredibly rewarding, and many other entrepreneurs I know say the same.
“When I work with young women developing their careers, I try to set milestones early on. You have to work on a joint target, and then build a plan together that you both believe in. One that helps achieve professional and personal goals. I’ve seen it work time and time again.
“One young trainee at iCaaS I personally mentored became one of the youngest GDPR practitioners in Europe.
“Ultimately, if you have the determination, self-belief, and are laser-focused on your goals then you really can break through any barrier – not just in cybersecurity, but in life too.”
This story was amended to reflect the fact that Nicola Hartland is 42 – it originally stated that she was in her mid-30s.