One we live by in all our work is “Do the right thing.” No matter what, whether they’re a client or not, help them. If a potential client or contact doesn’t have money, but you know you can help them — do it. It’s the right thing to do, and it almost always comes back.
As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ian Campbell of Nucleus Research.
Ian Campbell is the Chief Executive Officer of Nucleus Research, where he is responsible for the company’s investigative research approach, product set, and overall corporate direction. He is a recognized expert on the return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of technology and has written and presented extensively on a range of organizational topics and the importance of matching technology to business organizational objectives. As an expert on technology value, he is a frequent speaker at industry and business events and has been quoted in major business publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and was the subject of a personal profile in The Financial Times.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
It’s hard to say I had a particular career path — it wasn’t something I talked with a guidance counselor about. I think a career is a series of branches or paths that take you different places, and my career had twists and turns, and opportunities arose.
I was a computer science major at Northeastern University, and after that I worked at various places. International Data Corporation (IDC) offered me a job as Vice President of Collaborative Technologies. I was there for nine years while also serving as adjunct professor at Babson College focusing on ROI investment for technology.
During that time, it occurred to me there was a need for a better approach to technology research and analysis. My idea was to develop an online research company highly focused on the ROI provided by technology, which led me to found Nucleus Research in 2000. It was just a matter of me taking all the pieces and bringing them together.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
I think for many years, the analyst industry has been dominated by firms such as Gartner, Forrester, and IDC that simply provide information to end users about products and opinions about what’s available.
At Nucleus Research, we do things very differently. We get information from sources that have actually used these products extensively in the real world, and we tell you the value of solutions based on hard facts and implementation experiences. Gartner will give you a list of companies or products. Nucleus Research will tell you the value those companies and products provide for businesses and end users.
There’s another difference between Nucleus Research vs other analyst firms. When you’re opinion-based, you can be swayed by a vendor, which opens the door to bias. That isn’t the case if the research is fact-based. We find the math-based approach is best. It takes the potential for bias out of the equation — and that’s a big part of our approach to analysis. It doesn’t always make software providers happy, but we don’t care because it gives users fully objective insights.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve learned many lessons over the years. Some have been related to my approach to things, but my biggest lesson has been that it’s not about the product you have, it’s about the team you build. It’s 10% product, 90% on the people. The more you spend on people, the better your company is.
It’s important to make sure your staff wants to come in to work, because they need to like what they do. I’m known for planning big company business trips to exotic locales. A lot of good has come out of them. The team learns how to work together better.
In 2020, Nucleus moved its headquarters to Miami from Boston. That was a big change, and I knew that would be a challenge for some of our staff, so I made sure to check things out first and talk to all my staff before pulling the trigger on the Miami office. My staff knows I care about them, and there is trust between us. That’s what made the move possible. It wasn’t just the beaches and the weather, it was the trust that I’ve built with my staff through my actions and investments in them.
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
I’ve been fortunate to have some really good managers along my journey I’ve learned a lot from — and others who showed me what not to do or how to act.
During my experience at IDC, there was a manager who was very compassionate, and I often think about how that manager took that approach with work and his staff. It has been a big influence on me, and it has guided my approach as a CEO.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
I personally don’t like the word “disruptive.” I think people should look for ways to expand. People should look for ways to provide better value. People look at companies like Amazon and think they are disruptive. Amazon is not disruptive; they pointed out a different way to sell.
There were a lot of people who dragged their feet and decided they weren’t going to do it and wouldn’t take advantage of it, but Amazon simply did it. In the early days, there was a disconnect between online business experiences like Amazon and brick-and-mortar retail. They were treated as two different industries. I don’t think that Amazon was disruptive as much as those other companies were not seeing the vision of the future.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
How about if I give you three words that I think have served me well along the way: Optimism, perseverance, and people. An entrepreneur needs to be inherently optimistic all of the time. They have to be enthusiastic; that’s a big part of it. And, continuing to go even when things don’t look bright is very important. And of course, you need to treat people with the respect they deserve.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
It’s funny, every day I think I have a new idea. We have two new areas we’re expanding into, and we have lots of ideas there. We think that our ideas and approach will bring more legitimacy and more value within the technology research industry.
We’re very proud that Nucleus Research consistently delivers high quality and an ethical way of doing business, and we’re always looking for new opportunities to do that in a way that provides fact-based ROI insights for clients.
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
Absolutely, books. I have all of my staff read “Getting to Yes” and “The 10-day MBA.” I have bought them all copies, and I think they’re both very useful books. The feedback from my team has been good, and they find value in the lessons and ideas presented in these books. At least that’s what they tell me!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I don’t really have one, but I do have “The Five Tenets of Nucleus Research” that I wrote, and I share with all our employees.
One we live by in all our work is “Do the right thing.” No matter what, whether they’re a client or not, help them. If a potential client or contact doesn’t have money, but you know you can help them — do it. It’s the right thing to do, and it almost always comes back.
We helped a salesman for a company one time, and he came back to us later when he was running a company. He remembered what we did for him, and that left such an impression at the time he came back to us later to begin contracting work with us.
“Do the right thing” also comes across in the nature of our work. Our research is factual, and facts are not swayed. We are ethical and honest, and I think that has driven our history of consistency and high quality. Our industry predictions are 95% accurate.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
We support two very important initiatives: Habitat for Humanity and animal causes. On the tech side, we constantly look at what people are getting and ask if they are getting a good value where they spend their money. We take a very pragmatic and consistent approach to technology research.
How can our readers follow you online?
On Twitter (@NucleusResearch), and you can find me @ianinsight on Instagram. And of course, on LinkedIn too.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
