Visionaries Brian Kingston and Bill Oliver had little idea when they set up their mobile phone business 25 years ago where we would be today – and while it’s anyone’s guess what the next
25 years will hold, there’s one thing for certain – dbfb will be ready to respond.
Founded as Database for Business, the fledgling company focused on providing phones and airtime for customers taking their first steps into the world of mobile communications. Today, dbfb is one of the biggest independent providers in the region and has built a reputation not just for mobile solutions, but also connectivity, cloud telephony and IT solutions and it has been very much at the forefront of delivering the fibre revolution in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. The focus now is on embracing AI as a way to improve efficiencies within the business, that in turn benefit customers.
Managing Director Simon Pickering joined dbfb in 2016, excited by the opportunity because of the way he’d seen the business establish itself and grow.
“There are two things that really appealed to me about dbfb,” said Simon. “Firstly, I liked the fact that everything was bought in a wholesale model, that’s very smart. It gives you complete control over pricing and contract terms and it allows you to be agile and flexible with customers. The other thing was that it was a local company dealing with local customers and had grown through excellent customer service and word-of-mouth recommendation.
“Bill and Brian saw an opportunity and took it. In those days mobile phones were used for calls and texting and that was it – no one could have imagined in 1998 where all this would end up. Who could have foreseen the likes of the iPhone and modern-day functionality?”
Being independent also allows dbfb the freedom to choose products from across the market – ensuring it can meet the needs of all customers, whatever they need from their technology solutions. There is a core list of solutions, all of which can be seen and experienced at dbfb’s new customer centre in its expanded offices in Moulton Park, and all of which are used on a day-to-day basis by the company itself.
“It’s important to us to be absolutely knowledgeable about and experienced in any products we are proposing to customers,” said Simon. “We don’t just deal with one partner, so that gives us flexibility, but at the same time we need to feel that we are not all things to all people, and that the service we provide is delivered by a dedicated team who know the products inside out.
“Customers need to be able to trust us – they don’t necessarily want or need to know all the spec or detail behind the products, they want us to work with them to put in place a solution that works for them and that helps them improve processes and productivity within their business.
“Covid changed the technology landscape dramatically, it sped things up by three to five years in terms of cloud solutions such as Teams, Zoom and remote working. People want us to be able to educate them in how they can make the most of the technology available for the good of their businesses and employees.”
In 2017, dbfb partnered with City Fibre as part of the multi-million-pound roll-out of ultrafast fibre into Northamptonshire businesses, bringing competition and significant productivity. This enabled the roll out of ultrafast connectivity to homes and businesses, as well as the infrastructure to deliver 5G capability. That project was followed by another agreement to do the same in Milton Keynes, putting the two areas ahead of the curve when it came to ultrafast broadband.
“It’s fair to say we were at the forefront of the full-fibre revolution,” said Simon. “This was a massive investment into local infrastructure and improved connectivity to homes, something that was increasingly vital as businesses needed people to be able to connect wherever they were, dealing with emails and queries at home if necessary. Then when the pandemic hit, it played an enormous role in people working from home, Zoom meetings, children being home educated and streaming lessons – the towns were ready for it and it made all the difference.
“The next technology revolution is AI, and we are still working on how we can incorporate that to help us provide a better service. We won’t necessarily be using it to deal with customers, we still feel that most of our customers want to speak to a human being, but there are ways to use it at the front end, to find ways to help increase productivity both for our customers and for us as a business.”
Two years ago, a five-year plan was drawn up, and dbfb is already ahead of it. When Simon Pickering joined the company turnover was around £2.5m and there were 12 members of the team. Now, with the new management team in place, dbfb employs 50 people and turnover is at £12m, with forecasts predicting a healthy future, with significant growth ambitions.
While Brian Kingston remains Chairman of the company he founded in the late 90s, his business partner Bill sadly died some years ago in Cynthia Spencer Hospice, something that still drives many of the staff to support the hospice in any way they can – and is the company’s charity of the year.
dbfb also supports the academies at both Northamptonshire County Cricket and Northampton Town FC, and is looking to establish a partnership programme to support young talent being released from the club’s apprenticeship programme.
“It is important to us to put something back into the local community,” said Simon. “I always challenge why some people prefer to use a large, faceless organisation rather than a local commercial venture. When we need to buy anything or access services, we use local providers as much as we can, because that way we are putting something back into the economy for the good of the county.
“We also encourage our staff to help choose and then support our charity of the year and give them time out to work on volunteering projects.
“Sustainability is also something we are also taking very seriously. Even for a small business, it’s important to see what’s going on in the world and how that’s going to impact all of us. Businesses that don’t take those issues seriously are going to have some challenges in the coming years because expectations are getting higher all the time.
“It’s all part of our vision for the future, for which our business goals are simple:
- SME dominance: We aim to establish a dominant presence in the regional SME marketplace.
- Enterprise Excellence: We will persistently innovate, deliver industry-leading services, and provide flexible contractual arrangements.
- Framework success: We are delighted to have secured a place on the Crown Commercial Services Network 3 framework to serve the public sector.
- Acquisition drive: Our commitment to business growth will persist as we expand our regional influence.
- “We’ll push on with our growth plans and remain flexible and competitive and continue to serve the local market in the way we’ve done for the past 25 years.”
To find out more about dbfb call 01604 673320, email discover@dbfb.co.uk or visit the website.
