With oil and gas firms falling over themselves to boost output to meet demand for hydrocarbons, there has probably not been a better time to be in the oil services business.

With oil and gas firms falling over themselves to boost output to meet demand for hydrocarbons, which has not been dented by sky-high prices, there has probably not been a better time to be in the oil services business.

This week an information technology specialist and veteran of the Kosovo conflict who came to business via the armed forces highlights the transformative effects that winning contracts from the sector's big fish can have.

His lament that the IT services industry suffers from the same sort of image problems that second-hand car dealers have grappled with will provide those who want to follow suit with food for thought.

Name: Stephen Grant.

Age: 38.

What is your business called? Intersum.

Where is it based? Aberdeen.

What does it produce, what services does it offer? Managed IT resources, including data network support, IT infrastructure design, security services, consultancy and project management and development work. We are also developing new products, such as carbon control software.

To whom does it sell? We operate across the oil and gas, financial services, transport, education and public sector industry sectors and our client list includes global FTSE-250 and public sector organisations.

What is its turnover? £1.4m.

How many employees? 28.

When was it formed?

March 2004.

Why did you take the plunge? After retraining through self-study to become a fully qualified IT consultant, I worked within various organisations, including BAE Systems and Vetco Gray, which was a great introduction to the IT world.

I had considered setting up my own business prior to meeting my ex-colleague, now business partner, John Gillies, for various reasons - the idea of starting a new venture that would grow to be successful and provide a new service provision was certainly a challenge that appealed to me. After a great deal of thought and brainstorming we decided to go for broke and set up Intersum.

What were you doing before you took the plunge? I served in the Royal Air Force for 12 years in air traffic control and had many experiences both good and bad.

All of these experiences, after reflection, helped me mature and develop a hard-working attitude; none more so than Kosovo, where I was one of the six air traffickers that had to get into Pristina airport before the Russians and the race was on.

We departed after getting to bed at midnight and awoke at 3am for a gruelling 14-hour flight in a Hercules to our destination in Skopje Macedonia to be transported through the mountains by truck another six hours away.

It was a sobering sight as we passed through the refuges streaming in the opposite direction with only the possessions they could carry.

We knew we had crossed the border when we saw the houses ablaze and finally set up camp in the early hours.

Working 16-hour days, seven days a week for months and the sight of destitute families really hits home on how lucky we are and how we detached we have become in our comfortable lives.

It makes me appreciate things in life that I may have taken for granted otherwise.

I left in 2000 and joined BAE working as an IT contractor and then for a global Oil and Gas Company Vetco Gray, where I met Gillies.

How did you raise the start-up funding? Start-up funding was not really required or requested. Myself and John took a very small wage and wore many hats - and the same suits - in the beginning.

It was painful and stressful for the first couple of years, but we came through it by being very economical with the resources we had at our disposal and working some long hours to achieve a solution.

What was your biggest break? After working on small projects we were awarded a contract by an Aberdeen-based oil and gas operating company, Venture Production, who needed help to set up a new and improved IT infrastructure. We delivered on all counts with the latest technologies available and were praised at executive level.

What was your worst moment? Cash flow in the early days, and the potential that staff might not be paid. We have always managed to get through it but on a couple of occasions it meant that John and I went without.

What do you most enjoy about running the business? Getting involved with people - seeing ideas suggestions bearing fruit and growing with people. I believe if I look after my staff, they are better motivated, developed and rewarded. They then look after the client who is happy with the service and, in turn, that looks after the company by renewal or referral. A win-win-win situation.

What do you least enjoy? Cash flow and awaiting award of a contract; both stressful in their own ways.

What is your biggest bugbear?

Got to be tax, especially in the early days. You are still getting to terms with running a business and sometimes the VAT bill arrives and combined with cash flow can knock the wind out of small businesses.

What are your ambitions for the firm? I would like Intersum to be seen as the market leader in all areas of our business, with greater acknowledgment of our product development capabilities which we are constantly demonstrating through the development of products such as carbon control software.

Winning large-scale contracts from FTSE-250 companies was a great achievement and the securing of further contracts on this scale continues to be an ambition.

What are your top priorities?

To become one of the most recognisable brands in our sector and to maintain our 100% increase in growth year-on-year. We encourage everyone to offer up new ideas, and implement them where possible - this enhances technological development and personal improvement and will remain a top priority within the company.

What single thing would most help? Some sort of stamp of quality or federation where you adhere to strict guidelines.

I think people perceive IT companies a bit like garages - you don't really know what they tell you is true and cannot help feel that you are being ripped of when the bill is presented.

What could the West- minster and/or the Scottish Governments do that would most help? By reviewing the government grants process. This is too slow, and with many hoops to jump through before you get approval can quickly be overtaken by events so the window of opportunity closes.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned? Believe in your ideas even if others do not.

I had an idea last year for a software product that would reduce the CO2 emissions that PCs are responsible for producing globally and at the same time save money for businesses. I had to convince my business partner of the idea's potential value and it took a good few months for that to happen but now we have a product, carbon control software, that delivers this and more and have many interested companies who want to see what this product can do.

There are over one billion PCs worldwide and they produce as much CO2 as the aviation industry - and one billion tonnes of carbon - 10% of the UK's annual energy consumption.

Our trials have shown that carbon control software can reduce the energy required by 40% or more.

How do you relax?

I have a two-year-old son, Solomon, so I don't have much time for relaxation. However, the little things give me so much joy, such as when he discovers something new - even if it's a paper towel being blown about by a hand dryer - it took me 20 minutes to get him out of that toilet.