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Rob Crossland and Mark O’Brien met when they were
both IT contractors working on a major project together.
They
began discussing how the introduction of new tax legislation
was going to affect them and other self- employed consultants
and talked about how they could pool their resources
to simplify the processes involved.
The
result was Parasol IT, an umbrella company providing
pioneering web-based accountancy and administration
facilities to consultants and self- employed contractors
in a wide range of industries. Now, just four years
later, the company has grown from four employees to
a team of over 30 at its head office in St Helens. More
than 4,000 consultants use Parasol IT and its turnover
last year was £66 million.
“The
idea behind Parasol IT was actually quite a simple one.
Mark and I knew what it was like to be working as freelancers,
with everyday tasks such as generating and chasing invoices
or sorting out tax issues taking valuable time, and
we wanted to find a way to remove some of the hassles,”
says Rob Crossland, now a Director of Parasol IT along
with Mark O’Brien.
“We looked at the kind of services that were available
and we thought ‘we could do better than that’,
so we did. In the past umbrella companies had tended
to be accountancy-driven but we approached the market
using technology and excellent customer service to provide
an efficient, flexible solution.
Mark commented: “We like to think that we really
shook the market up when we established Parasol IT.
We took the decision to launch an online facility at
a time when the dotcom boom was at its lowest point
but we believed in what we were doing and we knew it
could work.
“We also believed in building a strong team and
as we have grown our business, St Helens Chamber has
provided us with on-going support in opening up new
skill areas such as NVQs and Investors in People. We
have also used the Chamber’s training facilities.”
The company has ambitious plans for the future including
significant continued investment in new technology and
extending the range of services it offers to consultants
and recruitment agencies.
It
recently received its first major accolade when it was
named as the North West winner in the Chamber Awards
2004, scooping the Microsoft Award for Innovation through
Technology.
“It was absolutely fantastic to win this Award,”
said Rob Crossland.
“We have always concentrated on providing the
highest levels of customer service through innovative
technology and to be recognised for that by winning
a high profile award is quite an achievement.”
For more information on Parasol IT, telephone on 0870
744 3908 or visit their website
Read success stories about
other successful St Helens companies
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