Chris Gibson

Hi, I’m Chris. Digital transformation specialist, business mentor and founder of multiple tech companies.

From football merchandise to wind power (with lots more in between) my entire career has been about solving business problems with tech.

It started in the 90s when I worked for Apple and was involved in the development of early WebObjects e-commerce (yes I am that old, ahem, experienced).

Since then, I’ve founded and co-founded several businesses before growing Collabaro into a scalable SaaS product for managing field services.

I’m a stickler for:

- Planning & forecasting – Specific, detailed forecasts are the foundation of a successful business.
- Attention to detail – Seemingly impossible targets can always be broken down into microscopic but achievable ones.
- Delivering – Owning the problem and seeing things through are hugely underestimated in CRM.
- Building and nurturing teams – Good people need investment.

And my superpower? Analysing numbers, budgets, margins and cashflow and spotting when something is slightly out of tune.

A couple of proud moments:

1. I left Apple to set up Kitbag.com, one of the first UK online retailers, which my co-founder and I sold to Kleeneze in 2005 with a turnover of £13 million. With early SaaS software and strong foundations, Kitbag now turns over £100m+.

2. I set up Evolve Retail in 2006 to help retailers turnaround disproportionately low online sales. My team transformed Jones Bootmaker’s online store from 86th (last) in their sales ranking to 1st, overtaking their flagship store in Oxford street.

3. I’ve helped develop Collabaro into an established brand for Railstons, transforming one-off software developments into a scalable recurring income business model.

When I’m not running day-to-day operations, or mentoring for the Prince’s Trust, you’ll find me tinkering with motorbikes or cycling.

Get in touch about:

- Tricky field management operations
- Business transformation challenges
- Mentoring opportunities