Warren Milburn, Managing Director, InfraZen
The Interview by Joanna Minkina
Early Life and School
JOANNA: Look at that cute, ewok-like face! How could you not trust him?!! Warren, introduce yourself!
ME: Hi, I’m Warren Milburn and I’m the Managing Director of InfraZen Ltd. I started my career at the age of 12, fixing 80’s microcomputers and the audio-cassette tape decks that came with them. It was a side-hustle, alongside some others like coaching Judo for beginners. I also trained 9-12 hours a week – Judo and High Intensity Training Circuits, with some gymnastics thrown in for good measure.
JOANNA: Always busy then?!
ME: It’s great to be busy, but you have to find time to live a fulfilling life too.
JOANNA: And you help small-business owners with that?
ME: I do.
JOANNA: What qualifies you to tell business professionals how they should use their I.T. better?
ME: Experience and Wisdom mostly 🙂 And there are lots of things happening all the time in IT, that are hard to keep track of.
JOANNA: How was school for you?
ME: I did not do well at school. I didn’t fit the mold, and was not a model pupil. By the time I left school, they were glad to see the back of me and I of them. They conned me out of taking Computer Science, so instead I took Computer Engineering at college. That’s where my education really started as I began to realise that I’d already found my niche at the age of 16. From college, I went to Uni (thats posh for Polytechnic as it was for me then!). I studied Computer Engineering there too, and specialised in Microprocessor Design.
The boss and the family
Life After School
ME: I could continue to list all my skills and experience but this not a CV, but if you want one, just ask 🙂 But, with over 30 years of experience in industry doing training (and the management thereof), systems admin, software development, hardware engineering, and much more besides, and having worked for some of the biggest names as a Senior Consultant Engineer, I think you’ll enjoy the read.
JOANNA: Okay… what was your first job after leaving Uni?
ME: On leaving Uni, I worked in the bars of Newcastle until I got my first job as an I.T. Training Officer. The main attribute that made me successful was my ability to explain tech language in English .. and Geordie! But you get the picture. It’s something I’ve always been proud of, and coupled with my easy-going attitude has stood me in very good stead.
JOANNA: Is that how you help businesses now?
ME: I use all of my skills, knowledge and wisdom to transform their businesses using tech to create impressive outcomes for them. Whether they want more billable hours or better work-life-balance, or BOTH, we can do that!
JOANNA: You say “we”? You mean there are more Ewoks?
ME: Ha ha. Yes. I have collected a team of people around me. I make room for employees, contractors, and school-leavers seeking work experience from college or Uni, but always only the best people. I’m all for more collaboration.
Business, Mental Health and Opportunities
JOANNA: When did you go into business for yourself?
ME: In the early 00’s I was in a partnership with a couple of lads developing web applications for recruitment companies. We knew tech but none of us were real business-people, so that effort didn’t really last very long. I went back to work for a while but in 2007 I became seriously sick with a mental illness, that lasted a considerable time, left me broke and it was altogether a place I never want to return to.
JOANNA: You recovered?
ME: It took 13 years to get a correct diagnosis, but once the doctors started treating me for that, I became a whole lot better and felt able to work again. I didn’t want to work for anyone else, and my pension pot was seriously eroded, so I felt the only way was to be my own boss, play to my strengths and do some good in the world.
JOANNA: So you started your own business in 2020 … the beginning of THE pandemic? Were you mad?
ME: A little bit ha ha. But really, while people were downing their tools and preparing for lockdowns, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to do what I wanted to do. Fewer engineers made picking up new contracts fairly easy.
The Million People Project
JOANNA: I see. What did you do?
ME: I helped families working from home and home-schooling their kids, get access to technology and the support to go with it at a time when supply-chains for all of that were very broken. I set about attempting to raise 1m people out of digital poverty before I retire.
JOANNA: That’s a huge task! How will you do it?
ME: Well I guess I have to retire at around the age of 105 😉
JOANNA: Ha ha. But now the pandemic is all but over. What now?
The Post Covid-19 Landscape
ME: I picked up a lot of work and contacts with businesses all over the country and I know the kinds of challenges they faced first-hand. And I know how to fix them. There weren’t just holes in the bucket when it came to IT in their businesses. There were gaping rips of titanic magnitude and we saw many businesses sadly go to the wall.
JOANNA: You’ve fixed it?
ME: I believe so. I mean we have a tried and tested methodology we use that was derived from improvements to the Managed Service Provider model.
JOANNA: And that’s what you do now?
ME: Yes. Better future-proofing for small businesses.
JOANNA: Are you managing your illness okay?
ME: Yeah. Of course it’s not ALL plain sailing but I’m not a quitter either. All is well, and has been quiet on the North Eastern front for a while.
JOANNA: Thank you Warren.
ME: Thanks Joanna.
