01732 759725 42 60 seconds things. I’m also convinced my colleagues in Newcastle speak a different language! TR: Where do you see the next big opportunity? DV: BPA and automation, which is currently being driven forward by the boom and buzz around AI. TR: What would make your day job easier? DV: Clients’ willingness to conduct meetings face to face. Teams provides a far more streamlined way of demonstrating software, but you can’t beat a handshake and meeting in person when it comes to building relationships with clients. I find people open up more when meeting face to face and are more forthcoming about the issues or problems within their business that ultimately we can help them solve. TR: What’s the best bit of business advice you’ve been given? DV: ‘If you have to talk about price then you haven’t demonstrated the value.’ TR: If you had had a crystal ball, would you have done anything differently? DV: Yes, I would tell my younger self not to be impatient about his career progression. I would remind him that growth takes time and is built on failures as much as successes and tell him to enjoy the journey more, not only the destination. Like many starting out in their careers, I naively expected progression to be linear and fast, when it is more like planting a seed which slowly grows with time until you can harvest the fruits of success. Dave Vavlas (DV) is Head of Professional Services at Aurora Managed Services, provider of a range of workplace services for enterprises, SMBs, charities and the public sector. In addition to the supply of telephony, print devices and office supplies, Aurora offers a comprehensive portfolio of managed IT services and outsourced document services including document management, scanning, digital mailroom, hybrid mail, production print and design. Technology Reseller (TR): What is currently having the greatest impact on your business? DV: Our structured growth in regional areas is bringing new opportunities as we expand our national coverage. Every region tends to have a slightly different way of doing 60 seconds with... Dave Vavlas, Head of Professional Services, Aurora Managed Services TR: Describe your most embarrassing moment. DV: I’ve known one of my neighbours for three years. I can remember his son’s name but not his. I forgot it after our first introduction and am now too far down the rabbit hole to come clean. I’m reminded of this almost every day when I pass him while out walking my dogs. I’m pretty sure he knows, but neither of us brings it up so the embarrassment is repeated daily. TR: What was your first job? DV: When we were 16, my brother and I started valeting cars on weekends, thinking it was the start of our entrepreneurial journey. TR: What would be your dream job? DV: As an HSE-certified commercial diver and diving instructor, I’d love to get back in the water again. Maybe running a dive school somewhere with fairer weather than the UK. TR: How do you like to spend your spare time? DV: With my family, walking my two dogs and, recently, skiing with my son. Don’t picture the Swiss Alps, I’m talking about the snowdome in Milton Keynes. I’ll be a proud dad when I can get him on the side of a mountain. TR: Money’s not an issue, what’s your perfect car/vehicle… and where would you like to drive it? DV: I have no badge snobbery when it comes to cars, so I’ll go with a KTM motorcycle on windy UK B-roads on a nice summer’s day. If my wife would let me have one! Dave Vavlas
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