Defining Moments

When I was at university, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I left. I looked at getting some sort of job, because I thought that’s what everybody did. At the careers fair, there were huge queues of people waiting at the stands for… read more

Lifestyle Story

I had five main friends when I started Nonlinear, and they all said that what I was doing was incredibly risky, thought I was terribly brave and all that stuff. But the reality was that three of them lost their jobs over the next two years so I actually… read more

Mistake To Avoid

In early 2000 we came up with a new product, Progenesis. That took us to a whole new level and we were able to take the end user price from £4.5k to £80k. But one of the areas where I could have done with a bit more personal development was in making… read more

Secret

It’s working with the people within the business which is the most rewarding aspect of being an entrepreneur, but often most of the challenges you faced are centred around people too, particularly when it comes to growth. Without people, the business is… read more

How I... Guide

Funding was one of my biggest challenges. Nobody in their right mind would want to support the kind of venture I wanted to get off the ground. Initially though, I got £5,000 from Barclays through the guy who used to be my personal bank manager in… read more

How I... Guide

We’re just launching our Fixing Proteomics campaign. Historically, the science of Proteomics – our marketplace - hasn’t been delivering the results everybody hoped it would in terms of discovering cures for many diseases. That means our market isn’t as… read more

Challenge

My Dad got me by the throat and made me do cash flows, P &Ls and a business plan, and generally took me on a beginner’s guide of how to run a business. I wasn’t interested in that side of things at all to begin with, but it helped me think about how I… read more

Challenge

Getting my first sale was more than a bit difficult. I remember making my first product demonstration; I was in a cheap, knackered car, a cheap suit, and I felt distinctly out of place on the King’s Road in London. I went into the lab and I put my… read more

Success

Growth is definitely something I’m still keen on. Building and creating something new gives me a real buzz, but it’s not just all about me. We’ve got a great bunch of people here at Nonlinear, and I believe that we’re making a significant contribution to… read more

Support Story

My family were hugely supportive, and I think that kind of support makes things a whole lot easier. It certainly helped me to take the step into entrepreneurship.… read more

Support Story

In 1995 I signed up my first distributor. Two directors from the company actually ended up joining Nonlinear. They were fantastic at helping with the commercial side of things which was where I lacked experience, and they allowed me to pick their brains.… read more

Support Story

With regards to funding, I encourage anyone starting out to go for the Smart Awards. They gave us funding which allowed us to take on more people, and more risk in that we can do things faster. Most of our funding has come from Northern Enterprise.… read more