Kate Bendix chats with Sam Francis and Kath Akturk of TEKexpress.
Read the article on the Surrey Business Magazine website.
My go-to mindful exercise is – who would I like to be stuck in a lift with before several fit firefighters rock up to free us?
My lift mates are interchangeable and have included Kathy Burke, Lady Gaga, Obama and Trump (so great). However, after the interview I’ve just done, Obama and Trump get the heave-ho to make room for Sam Francis and Kath Akturk. My only reservation is with Burke and Gaga, I won’t get a word in edgeways.
Sam is the founder of TEK Express, a company supplying mobile technical services to companies working primarily in the field. Kath is the operations director and Sam’s deputy. Friends for nearly 30 years, they met while working for an IT firm in the 1990s.
“I was a bit afraid of Kath at first. She was driven, ultra-professional and expected a lot from you,” Sam reveals. “Luckily, we worked for a family business that took us to the pub. There, she was a different person. I realised then that Work Kath is a ‘fixer’; she’s there to get the job done.”
The conversation is seamless. They don’t talk over each other, it’s more of a flow, a shorthand most of us can only dream of. There’s not a fag paper width between breaths. I realise they are answering my questions without me even asking. This is both a breeze and a joy.
In the beginning
Sam started TEK Express in 2000 with her brother. Two more partners joined in 2014. “In 2015, issues came to a head with my brother and he left the business. It was a rough time, we were £85,000 in debt and I had a charge on my house and a mortgage. Something had to change. In 2016, Kath joined the business. I’d been let down so badly that I found it hard to trust anyone. I trusted Kath.”
By 2018, the remaining partners were gone and I owned the business outright. The following year, the £85,000 debt had been paid back and the charge on my house was lifted.
Kath had taken time off to have children and worked part-time when Sam approached her. “I was excited but nervous about returning to the workplace. I was even out of touch with Windows! I took some time for self-reflection. I had kids; could I do a full-time job and look after them properly?”.
Kath joined TEK Express as OperationsManager. “Kath’s talents were being wasted. I hoped the company would recognise them and the benefits she would bring,” recalls Sam. They did, and Kath was promoted to Operations Director within months.
Teamwork and trust
Sam says of Kath that, “She’s the yin to my yang.” Kath nods. “Kath’s the detailer, the worrier and planner. She’s good in a crisis with a 100% view of the situation.”
“Sam’s the reassuring one, and she’ll take on projects I wouldn’t dream of,” Kath responds. During Covid, they navigated the hard road together, working to reduce costs and maximise profits. Always the empath, Kath ensured everyone’s mental health was covered.
This year, Sam took three months off to travel around Europe in her motorhome, leaving Kath to run the company. “I was jaded, exhausted and intent on selling the business when I got back,” says Sam.
Kath recalls, “I said to Sam, any decisions I make in your absence, you may not agree with them, and they may not be the right one, but so be it.” Sam felt, “I think it was important for her to say it. I had no qualms whatsoever.” It speaks volumes to the strength of their relationship when you think back six short years ago.
Kath sent Sam a report every two weeks, and Sam checked her email once a day. “It wasn’t onerous; Kath was running the business, and I kept up to date.” Sam returned rested with a fresh perspective. “I am not in a rush to sell the business now. I reached this point because of Kath and our great teamwork!”
MDHUB
Sam felts that, “Being a member of MDHUB has challenged me to empower people. I’ve learned to listen and to enable people to carry ideas through. Kath and I have benefitted from that.”
So much so that Sam nominated Kath for Best Supporting Act award at the 2022 MDHUB Leaders Awards.
I paraphrase her speech here. “I may be the business owner, but Kath is my sidekick. She challenges and supports me; no easy task for anyone that knows me! The business has never been in such great shape. She is kind, compassionate, loyal, dedicated, industrious, organised, pragmatic, professional, communicative and MAGNIFICENT!”
The even better news for TEK Express, as reported in last month’s Platinum Business Magazine, is that Kath won the Best Supporting Act award!
My last question is to both of them If one of you phoned the other and said, “I need you to get in the car, bring a bat and don’t ask any questions,” would you do it? Without hesitation, they both nod. Then Sam says, “I’d bring two bats.” Kath agrees, “Yeah, two bats.”
And I realise this isn’t an interview; it’s a love story.