Sean Smith and Gavin Jones went into business together on the Blackbird Leys estate, washing cars when they were 12 years old.
Now they head up Planet IT, a major company on Milton Park near Didcot.
When the duo left Peers School in Littlemore they worked in various jobs until Sean persuaded Gavin to set up an IT company with him.
READ AGAIN: Milton Park IT company marks 15th anniversary
They quit their jobs and formed Planet IT from Sean’s flat with funding from Gavin's cousin’s credit card, buying computers, servers and software and selling them on for a small profit.
Fast forward 15 years and Planet IT is a £10m-a-year IT services company, employing just under 40 staff.
The team are experts in IT, including planning, systems and networking, cyber security, cloud solutions, and sourcing hardware and software.
Clients include The Royal Household, Museum of London, Royal College of Music & Drama, Condé Nast, Gigaclear and Our Lady’s Abingdon.
Mr Jones said: “We first washed cars together as kids, things were tight and we did it so we could buy things we wanted, including the first Nintendo Gameboy.
“At that time we wouldn’t have imagined we would spend most of our working lives together, but we clicked.
READ AGAIN: Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Planet IT staff to give advice on tacking challenges
“We always challenge and support each other and it’s worked for us and the business.”
The pair have not forgotten their roots and over the years have sponsored local football teams on Blackbird Leys and still have family in the area.
More recently Planet IT sponsored Oxford United as part of their commitment to the community and Mr Jones is a mentor at his old school.
The duo said the key to their success has been a strong focus on customer service and recruiting good people.
Mr Smith said: “We set up Planet IT with a founding principle of putting customers first and that ethos has always guided us.
“Being school friends and forming our first business washing cars aged 12 gave us a good grounding for our partnership to grow.”
After two years Planet IT moved from its home office into the Harwell Innovation Centre, before moving to Milton Park last year.
READ MORE: Royal baby name revealed but did you guess it?
Mr Jones said: “It’s been an incredible journey and has taken a lot of hard work and a real team spirit to grow the company.
“We place a great emphasis on having a vibrant, happy team culture and really value making Planet IT a place where people are respected and can develop a career.”
Planet IT has supported more than 2,000 clients, in the UK, United States and Europe.
Overcoming Challenges with Sir Ranulph Fiennes & Planet IT will take place at the Courtyard by Marriott on Milton Park on Thursday, from noon until 3pm.
Sir Ranulph will treat guests to a talk on some of the adventures he has faced and challenges he has overcome.
Planet IT has also teamed up with Dell EMC and will discuss the challenging IT threat landscape for business.
For more visit planet-it.net
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel