In this episode, Lara Quie interviews Adrian Sutton, CEO and Co-Founder of Vortex IoT. Vortex IoT is a designer and manufacturer of sensor systems used for environmental air quality monitoring, rail track monitoring, and smart parking. In this conversation Adrian discusses: - How he played semi-professional rugby until age 22 but got injured and had to move on. - His early career and being a slow starter but eventually finding a passion for project management. - Working as a freelance management contractor in eight different police forces and the Home Office to help find efficiencies and cost savings through digital transformation. - How understanding the nature of the business with empathy is important before implementing change. - How he co-founded Vortex IoT four years ago after meeting his co-founder at a trade show in Asia. - The satisfaction he gets in working in a business that is making a difference to the environment. - How COVId has impacted the business over the past year and the importance of having a support network. - Being resilient and walking in the shoes of your customers. Really understanding them and having empathy. - Building the business from 12 to 34 people in the pandemic and using coaching and mentoring internally. - How he has been coached and mentored and believes you need to be challenged and helped to grow. - His advice that it is never too early to start networking. People you know will become influential and life-long supporters. You can connect with Adrian on LinkedIn at http://linkedin.com/in/adrian-sutton-43b44a9 You can connect with Lara on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/laraquie Andrew on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/andrew-parker-6ab5a995 Or email: Lara@LaraQAssociates.com and Andrew@wasbi-consulting.com