Taming the business tiger

Mr Milnes - former lion keeper

Iain Milnes is a UK technology entrepreneur who has been taking on Silicon Valley at its own game for 20 years.

Born and educated in the UK, Mr Milnes was working in Scotland for Hewlett-Packard in the 1980s when he was transferred to a division in Roseville, California.

After a short stint there, he moved to Silicon Valley and started his first company there in 1987, then a second and third before retiring in 2001.

But he couldn't keep out of the business world and three weeks later he founded his latest company Zultys, where holds the role of president of a company now challenging big names like Cisco.

What was your first job - and how much were you paid?

I started work at the Windsor Safari Park when I was 16. I worked with the big cats, lions, cheetahs, and eventually the tigers.

The tigers were man eaters, the lions were large and aggressive, and the cheetahs could run fast but were easier to control.

During the entire time I was there, I got £2 a day, from 07:00 to after sunset. That could be easily a 12 or 14 hour day.

I was there two years and was one of two people who could handle the tigers.

Then the park decided I wasn't needed, but shortly after, the other man who could handle the tigers left. The Park offered me back my job but I had moved on.

That was a tough decision as I had enjoyed the work so much, but it taught me one of my first lessons in business.

The park then chose another keeper to manage the tigers. He was my friend and I advised him against accepting the job.

He took it but was unfortunately killed by the tigers soon after. The park closed not long after that and is now Lego Land.

What was your first car?

With the money from the park, I bought a motorbike. I passed my test on a Honda 50 and upgraded to a BSA A10, which was a 650 cc twin.

Combined with my high-risk job, my mum had a worrying time - when I was late home, she phoned the park frequently, wondering if I had been killed by a cat or a car. I did fall off too often.

Finally, in my second year at university, I reached the point where I gave up and got four wheels. It was a Ford Transit van.

What was the first house you got a mortgage for?

I bought a terrace house in Worthing. Shortly after graduating, I got a job there and lived in a field in my van until I had saved enough for the down payment.

I think the house was £9,500. I spent all my spare time for two years doing it up.

Then I had a fire in the house and the insurance company paid for a builder to fix it up.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

Margaret Thatcher made a big difference to my life.

She worked hard and executed what she believed was right, she set a new standard for business in the UK and started a significant boost in the UK's prosperity.

She was unpopular at times, but continued to strive for high standards.

No married man can start and operate a successful company without full support from his wife. I am fortunate to have a wife who fully believes in me and who shares my ambition.

What's the best bit of business advice you've had?

When I worked at one of the start-ups in Silicon Valley in the mid-80s, it became obvious that the company was unlikely to succeed.

Many of us wanted the company to continue and were loyal to what we were doing.

My boss told me that I needed to make my own decisions about my destiny and not let events force me into an uncomfortable position.

I left. It was a tough decision at the time but one that I never regretted.

And the advice is something I have continued to practice in management and business in general.

What do you believe is the big issue for business at the moment?

Many governments put tariffs on the import of goods, whether stated as an import duty or a sales tax only on imported goods.

This protectionism on trade is generally bad for business and ultimately stunts the economic growth in that country.

To make matters worse, some of the countries that do this are where a company like ours goes to source engineering assistance or manufacturing assistance.

So the government of that country is happy that we employ people, but unhappy when we want to sell the products produced as the fruits of that labour.

What was the proudest moment of your career?

The proudest moment came when I announced the acquisition of Zarak - the third firm I set up - by Spirent Communications.

I had worked hard on the project for over six months with a very small team of people, though we kept it secret from most of our company.

We had worked all the way through the night prior to the announcement.

It was a very emotional event for me as it was the culmination of years of hard work.

I had a tremendous sense of pride and achievement and was pleased that my decision was fully supported by every one of the employees when I made the announcement.

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Zultys Technologies has its UK headquarters in Wokingham, Berks., and its corporate office in Sunnyvale, California.

The group designs and manufactures telecom and data technology for businesses.

Employing more than 90 people, the firm sells its products worldwide and has distribution in 58 countries.