Ryan left his role in IT to go self-employed, operating as a single contractor.

Later that year, Jordan joined as an apprentice — beginning a working partnership that continues today. Operations were run from a £1,000 van (that required a nightly battery charge), marking the start of the journey.

Early in the year, the business secured a large-scale Wi-Fi rollout across Lidl sites in the South West. A team of engineers was assembled to deliver the project. In February 2016, RI Networks was officially formed, trading as a registered company. The team grew quickly to 10 engineers.

The business model shifted toward commercial work towards the end of 2016, and RI Networks was rebranded as Rainbow Networks.

The team moved from a home garage into its first office in Avonmouth, chosen for its proximity to projects along the M5 corridor.

Headcount increased to 15 engineers. Later that year, the business relocated to Station Road Workshops to accommodate continued growth.

In early 2019, another move followed, into a larger office with more space to support the growing team and workload.

At the start of 2020, the business had 27 engineers and a full project schedule.

Lockdown halted operations, prompting a strategic reassessment. Recognising the need for recurring revenue, Rainbow acquired Protel during peak lockdown, a bold but necessary move toward long-term sustainability.

After operating separately to align teams and processes, Rainbow and Protel formally merged into one unified brand.

The company restructured into two focused entities, Rainbow Communications and Protel Data Services, to strengthen internal processes and specialist delivery.

Following the acquisition of a large IT & Cyber database, the business reformed under a new name: Echo.

Today, Echo employs 12 office staff and 42 field engineers, operating as a multi-million-pound technology organisation built on 10 years of evolution, resilience, and growth.