Pure business

When Matt Sandford lost his job selling newspaper advertising in 1986, he needed to make a quick quid, so attempted to sell his mobile phone to a telephone company.

Sandford not only made the sale, but he was offered a job and has been in mobile ever since.

Perhaps it was this unconventional entry into telecoms that helped shape his shrewd business mind. But in an industry full of independent dealers lamenting their poor treatment by the networks, its refreshing to hear a confident voice that accepts the realities of the market and responds to them in order to succeed. Hes not only rolled with the punches that mobile has dealt him, but hes hit right back.

Sandford is now managing director of Shropshire-based business service provider Pure Communications. After 16 years at the helm of now defunct retail and business outlet Ternhill Communications and a stint as sales director at Manchester-based service provider Yes Telecom, he established Pure with £80,000 of his own money. A provider of mobile, data, fixed-line, broadband and telephone systems, Pure celebrated its first birthday with a bang last month after being named Shropshires Best New Business by the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, with Sandford also named the countys Entrepreneur of the Year.

Now looking at converting the stables and barn of his property near Shrewsbury into more offices, Sandfords business capacity is set to increase four-fold since originally replacing his home gym with the initial office much to his wifes dismay.

On the back of a BlackBerry-focussed business breakfast he recently staged in conjunction with O2, connections are flying in. In the past year, Sandford has signed up more than 180 clients with over 950 mobiles and 100 BlackBerrys between them.

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