When The Internet Group was set up in 1999, supplying IT services to property companies made up a quarter of our business.

However, in February 2008 I felt the property market was showing signs of instability. It’s always risky withdrawing from a sector you are strong in, but I decided to stop proactively recruiting property companies and instead cast our net a little further afield to businesses that were more IT-driven, such as accountancy practices.

A few months later the housing market collapsed and left a blistering trail of destruction. Several of our former clients were hit hard and many went out of business. Now, property forms just 7 per cent of our client base, less than half what it was, while our headcount has doubled to over 60 and I think it would be fair to say that the company is flourishing.