Entrepreneur of the Year
Category criteria
- This award will recognise someone who has had a big impact with their own business or innovation and is open to people at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
- The judges will reward enterprising behaviour such as innovation, calculated risk-taking, management, leadership, vision and originality.
- The judges will also look for a positive impact on the wider economy and community.
Deklan van de Laarschot
Entrepreneur of the Year entrant
Deklan van de Laarschot left school after his GCSEs and now, at the age of just 34, is the founder and CEO of two tech businesses with a multi-million-pound turnover.
He left his job to set up Next2IT in 2020, not expecting to be running a fledgling business from his bedroom during a pandemic.
By 2021/2022 the business’s turnover was £1.3 million, reached £2.1 million the following year and £3.5 million by 2023/2024.
The business quickly moved to premises in Cannock and now has offices at Stafford Technology Park where it has just taken over extra space to open a centre of excellence.
Alongside Next2IT Deklan has launched Next Level Software. Both businesses aim to transform the IT and software industries.
Born in London, Deklan moved to Stone at the age of 19 and still lives in mid-Staffordshire.
“I didn’t go to university,” he said. “I did my GCSEs then I left school and went into IT, working my way up to become technical director.
“I wanted to set my own business up, had the concept for that first business and stepped away from employment at the age of 29.
“I’d been putting things in place for a while and hadn’t realised that Covid was around the corner. I handed my notice in and three months later we went into lockdown.
“So I was unemployed in lockdown and trying to get my business to work. Within 12 months I’d stopped working from a bedroom and moved into offices in Cannock.”
The rapid expansion of the businesses has been fuelled by Deklan’s ability to identify market opportunities, build high-performing teams and deliver next-generation IT solutions that help businesses enhance security, efficiency and scalability.
He added: “Success is not only measured by revenue and growth but also by the ability to lead, inspire and create a culture of innovation.”
Deklan has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards.