Startup QA Martin Campbell, Co-Founder MD, Ormsby Street

Startup QA Martin Campbell, Co-Founder MD, Ormsby Street Startup QA: Martin Campbell, Co-Founder MD, Ormsby Street Image Source: Ormsby StreetORMSBY Street was founded in 2014 by Martin Campbell, Robert Drury, Stuart Dawson and Eamon O’Dwyer, aiming to help small businesses make big decisions through data and insight.The co-founders have created a team of product innovators and software engineers that is taking sophisticated financial data and delivering it via digital tools to help their business clients make the most informed decisions.The startup is particularly renowned for its creation of CreditHQ, an online tool that provides  financial advice to small businesses to help them take control of their cash.Approximately 27,000 small business owners in the UK are using CreditHQ and the company has more clients in Italy and Germany due to its partnership with Deutsche bank.Martin Campbell found a window in his schedule as managing director of Ormsby Street and climbed into the AGENT Startup Hotseat to answer our questions about his career to date. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push( {}); 1. Very simply, what does your company do?Ormsby Street’s online tool CreditHQ, is focused exclusively on helping small businesses manage their cash more effectively. We give a small business the information about the companies they trade with â€" so they know their credit score, we show them what to do with that information, and give them all the tools they need to collect their cash. We have approaching 30,000 users of CreditHQ in the UK and have recently launched in Germany and Italy, via a partnership with Deutsche Bank.2. What was the ‘Eureka!’ moment?It’s a more unusual story than with many startups, as CreditHQ was previously a Barclays Bank ‘credit score subscription’ product. We became aware of it and realised that the potential for improving small business cash-flow was vast. As a business owner myself, I was only too aware of the worry and sleepless nights that come when customers don’t pay on time. Small businesses need to get paid on time to survive a nd thrive, and we felt CreditHQ could help them do it.We knew we could build on all the knowledge and data that had been built up from delivering the previous product to Barclays SME customers, so we founded Ormsby Street and launched a next-generation version of CreditHQ, which is proving an exciting and hugely popular product. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. What were you doing before starting?I’m an experienced entrepreneur with a number of projects under my belt already. I founded Baigent Digital in 1998 and managed it through growth to become the leading UK digital agency for charity digital fundraising. Baigent was acquired by NASDAQ listed Convio in 2011, and then subsequently by Blackbaud Inc the following year.  Throughout that period I was responsible for Convio’s international expansion and launches here in Europe before moving into an innovation and strategy leadership role with Blackbaud supporting partners worldwide.  Over recent years I’ ve also been able to help other startups and ambitious leaders of digital businesses.4. How are you funded?Our funding comes from revenue generated from the previous version of the product. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs starting their own company?Any entrepreneur should think big and try and solve a significant problem that genuinely is in need of a solution. The most impactful, disruptive and ultimately successful ideas happen when you think big and try and make the world a better place in some way.6. What item do you never leave the house without?I’m assuming that I get my keys and phone included automatically, so I’m going to say my Leatherman (a kind of Swiss army knife).  I don’t have to forage in the woods much in my day to day work, but it’s amazing how useful it is to have a simple set of tools in your pocket to lend a hand where needed!