- What is your name and what is the name of your business?
My name is Richard Stephens and the business is Miranna Ltd.
- What does the business do and who are your customers?
The main thing I do is build technology platforms, this could be in the form of a web-based application or an application that runs on your phone. Most of my clients fall into two categories – either NGO’s and the charity sector, or start-up businesses. Over the years I have got quite involved in those start-ups, parachuted in to get things going, helping to get a product off the ground. I have got quite a lot of experience in this area having built and sold on a few businesses of my own in the past. That could be physical product design, manufacturing though China or Europe. But given my background as a software engineer, I mostly focus on digital products.
An example of this is a platform I have built in the last few years for community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa, countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe. Effectively, in a lot of those countries they are very reliant on community health workers who have a basic medical knowledge, particularly of certain diseases such as Malaria and HIV. Initially I created a platform built around training and educating these health care workers to help them fulfil their role. Later that evolved into screening people. This meant that local people could get a screening from a community healthcare worker that then meant they could be referred onto a clinic so they could then see the relevant doctor. Last year we screened over a quarter of a million people on the platform I built, and there was something like an 80% referral rate. So that means approx 200,000 people saw a doctor that would not have ordinarily – which is a great success story.
3. What is the history of your business and what is your role within it?
I had a lot of different business partners over the years and in 2016 I decided I was happy to be a one-man-band. It was a bit of a leap of faith as I was going back to building stuff myself, having previously delegated that area of the business. Basically, I realised I am really passionate about building stuff and I wanted to get back into that – doing the physics of it, creating the product myself.
- How long have you had a Dedicated Desk here at Freshmill and why were you looking for a space like this?
I have been here a year and a half. Over the last couple of years, I had been in a couple of coworking spaces – the most recent being Platform 9 in Brighton and I really liked it. But to be honest after a while the travel became a bit of a pain – the price of the train tickets was getting crazy. So I worked from home again for a while, but I don’t enjoy being on my own! Then a friend of mine told me about Freshmill and so I came along, and I really liked it! The main thing is it’s local – for me it’s 5 minutes in the car – I can be flexible with the kids if I need to get back.
- Why does Freshmill work well for you and your business?
Obviously, like I said, Freshmill was a great option for me because it allowed me to be out of the home but also with the flexibility of being so local.
But another motivator was the local community, and whether I could meet likeminded people or potential business partners and clients. And that has happened. I have had collaborations and met some really interesting people, and it has benefitted my business in this way.
- What is the most important lesson you have gained from your career so far?
The thing I learned very early in my career which has stuck with me is the act of treating everyone on an equal footing. Essentially, whether they are the courier or the CEO, I have the same respect for everyone. I believe in this firstly because it is the right thing to do but also because you never know when someone will be a connection that may benefit you. This doesn’t mean you should treat people well just for personal gain, just simply that having common courtesy towards everyone gets you a long way.
- Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
I guess I would like to be doing the same thing as I am now – but the beauty of what I do is that it is never the ‘same thing’! I would like to continue to have a positive impact and see the results of projects I have been involved with.
I have more recently set up another business with a coding club and pop-up events so it would be great to do more educational stuff and grow that over the next five years.
- What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
If I am honest, when I started, I was a bit arrogant. I think I missed some opportunities early on because I wasn’t very open minded and thought that I knew better. So my advice to my younger self would be to stop and listen to people because you may well learn something!
- What is your favourite quote/mantra?
My favourite quote is from Steve Jobs who often said, ‘No-one is coming to save you’. It is something I have always stood by from very young. Basically, it means don’t rely on other people. This isn’t meant in a negative way, but there is something to be said for being self-sufficient and more importantly self-motivated because at the end of the day, it is down to you. I was already doing it when I was younger but when Steve Jobs said that it really crystalised what I felt.
Ironically though, I am a very social person so that is why Freshmill works so well for me – I can work for myself and be self-sufficient whilst being around other people!
- If you could, who would you switch places with for the day, and why?
If I could go back in time, I would like to be Richard Branson in the 1980’s for the day – when he had Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records and he was growing that amazing empire!
I read his autobiography when I was 19 and it really inspired me. It would be so interesting to go back to when he was at the height of his success to live that for a day and probably think, ‘bloody hell that was hard’! I imagine it would be an amazing experience!