I have been catching up with MSP owner Amanda Stewart.
Amanda Stewart has worked in IT for 30 years. She has worked in the accountancy and legal industry as IT Manager, before moving into the MSP sphere in the early 2000’s. When her first child was 6 months old, she started up Illuminate, as she spotted a local gap in the market for quality IT for the SME. The business has grown organically since then. Despite leading a team of 6 women IT professionals back in the 90’s, she has seldom come across many women when interviewing for new staff, and is passionate in getting girls interested from primary school age.
I asked Amanda to share some things that helped her progress in her career. Take a look at the 7 business hacks Amanda had to share:
Automation: Stop using spreadsheets, they start to rule your life!
Networking: Professional networking groups, there are also lots of great women only networking groups in Scotland I belong to, promoting and championing each other each other.
Staff: Getting an admin person, didn’t realise how much admin we actually had until we hired an IT Admin. Saved me shed loads of time, and she is identifying things we need to do to make ourselves way more efficient.
Ethos: Getting a business ethos and making sure all staff have the same believes has been fundamental in moving the business forward. I wasted a lot of time in the past waiting on staff to have those beliefs when it just wasn’t in them!
Learning: Constant training for myself and the team, and making the time for it is so important.
Bonding: Team bonding days, little gifts of appreciation, filling fridge with chocolate. Making the office a place everyone wants to work in.
Office dog: Puts a smile on everyone’s faces. He is the unofficial canine member of staff, makes us go for a walk in all weathers. Picture of Max attached
Amanda Stewart has worked in IT for 30 years. She has worked in the accountancy and legal industry as IT Manager, before moving into the MSP sphere in the early 2000’s. When her first child was 6 months old, she started up Illuminate, as she spotted a local gap in the market for quality IT for the SME. The business has grown organically since then. Despite leading a team of 6 women IT professionals back in the 90’s, she has seldom come across many women when interviewing for new staff, and is passionate in getting girls interested from primary school age.
I asked Amanda to share some things that helped her progress in her career. Take a look at the 7 business hacks Amanda had to share:
Automation: Stop using spreadsheets, they start to rule your life!
Networking: Professional networking groups, there are also lots of great women only networking groups in Scotland I belong to, promoting and championing each other each other.
Staff: Getting an admin person, didn’t realise how much admin we actually had until we hired an IT Admin. Saved me shed loads of time, and she is identifying things we need to do to make ourselves way more efficient.
Ethos: Getting a business ethos and making sure all staff have the same believes has been fundamental in moving the business forward. I wasted a lot of time in the past waiting on staff to have those beliefs when it just wasn’t in them!
Learning: Constant training for myself and the team, and making the time for it is so important.
Bonding: Team bonding days, little gifts of appreciation, filling fridge with chocolate. Making the office a place everyone wants to work in.
Office dog: Puts a smile on everyone’s faces. He is the unofficial canine member of staff, makes us go for a walk in all weathers. Picture of Max attached
