Entrepreneur Profile: Scott Allison Founder Of Teamly

Scott is an experienced businessman, having been a former co-founder and CEO of award-winning B2B telecoms virtual network operator, Abica. During his time at the head of Abica, Scott began experimenting with different methods to manage people. Scott is also a founder member of TechHub in London, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a contributor at Forbes.com.

Teamly is a software-as-a-service web application that helps individuals in companies become more focused and productive, and provides managers with a quick and easy way to see what their team considers their top priorities. In other words, Teamly improves productivity and communication in business by helping people focus on what is really important.

The problem Teamly solves is to discover, as an employee, how you stay focused and effective. Subsequently for managers, Teamly helps them discover how to ensure that their team is focused on what truly matters, without having to micro-manage them or rely on bureaucratic HR processes.

This useful tool takes out the hassle of management by providing a company wide platform that allows the company to effectively manage itself. With the burden of streamlining a company's efficiency lifted, each person can focus on accomplishing their tasks. Imagine you were an employee, and you wanted to work with another employee on a team. With Teamly, you would all know how best to accomplish your team's goal.

Elite Daily had the chance to sit down with Scott Allison and ask him about his personal experiences, entrepreneurism and his thoughts on the future.

What were you like in college? Were you as hungry then as you are now, hustling away and engaged in business endeavors, or were your collegiate years more of the typical experience that the Average Joe has?

I started an online business when I was in college while studying marketing. Two things happened which prompted this: I got online for the first time in 1994, and the following year I bought my first cellphone. At the time, neither internet access nor mobile phone ownership was mainstream, but they were growing fast. So I setup a website, selling mobiles and subscription plans online. In between classes I was hustling, taking calls from customers and dealing with emails – it was really exciting and I was making good money!

What is your take on college in 2012? Many successful entrepreneurs are skeptical of how much college actually prepares students for the real world. Would you advise an entrepreneurial-minded youth to go to college today?

I think college is a great time to expand your horizons, build a network, experiment with things and, of course, learn some stuff at the same time. It's really hard to choose the right thing to study, so try to give yourself options and get involved in things outside of class time. Set up your own business, or intern at something entrepreneurial. Use the time wisely and make sure when you graduate it's with much more than just a degree behind you!

Was their a turning point in your life, a specific event that led to your current career?

It was definitely getting online and subsequently starting my own biz!

After all of your achievements, success and, as a result, financial comfort, what motivates you to wake up in the morning and work harder than everybody else?

I like the challenge of solving problems, creating something from nothing and building a team. Finding great people and building a company is incredibly exciting and rewarding.

What are the hottest market, tech or social trends that you think have the best potential for an entrepreneur to capitalize on?

There is a revolution going on in enterprise computing, with new web-based solutions disrupting the old world of Oracle, SAP and Microsoft. Now employees and teams are choosing their own solutions, rather than having to put up with a centrally implemented solution approved by the IT department. This is only just beginning. Who will be the next to replicate Yammer's one billion dollar success? I can't wait to see!

Have you had any setbacks that almost discouraged you from the risk-filled world of entrepreneurship?

Being an entrepreneur is a rollercoaster that goes up and down all of the time, sometimes more than once a day! It's not for everyone. Having support around you is crucial – whether through co-founders, advisors or mentors – and remember not to unburden everything on your loved ones. Make time for yourself and those close to you. You'll feel refreshed and able to perform better, if you have some degree of balance between work and life.

What advice can you give a young entrepreneur who is in the midst of turning a concept into a business? What are those first critical steps that need to be taken?

Start something and validate the demand for your idea. This can be done, even with just an adwords campaign and a launchrock landing page.

Elite.