IT never ceases to amaze me how much talent we have in the North East. Although, thinking about it, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that so many people choose to base themselves in the best part of the UK.

The balance between home and work is good here – very few of us face 60-minute train journeys every morning and evening. Most commuters still travel by road and, honestly, having lived all over the UK, I can tell you that traffic congestion problems are nothing in comparison to those seen in other cities. But you know, that’s not to say we don’t have our problems, especially when we constantly have to travel the UK and even Europe to visit the clients we are so proud to serve.

Every successful business owner I know in the North East is prepared to do the 4am drive south. Every week, raiding parties – from creative agencies, to top law and tech firms – sortie down the A1 or the East Coast Main Line to bring home the bacon.

I have a view of what has made this possible: the way we work has changed. Most people have email on the move. Many of us can access our corporate systems now wherever we are. Laptops pervade, tablets are constantly visible on trains, and the modern generation don’t feel like they have abandoned ship when they are on the move. They are always connected.

Naysayers say it’s bad, and that always being connected with the office is ruining families. Then how do you explain record attendances at school Christmas nativities? I’ll tell you: It’s because people can stay in touch with work on the move and at home, which makes working flexibly an easy thing to do. It strikes me that the “always on” business person has got it just right. And he is voting with his feet; moving into our region and bringing the wealth our vibrant cities need.

If you run a firm, what could this trend mean? It means you can get talent you never even dreamed of having in your business if you employ these technologies. Trust me – advertise a role as “we support mobile working” and you’ll get twice as many applicants, and the quality of them will blow your mind. But, more importantly, it means you can form your very own raiding party with these talented people and land one of those clients that make your competitors jealous.

:: Mark Lavender is sales director of Sunderland-based telecoms firm CCS Mobile