IN this week’s SME Focus we hear from a small business that found an unusual way of capitalising on the success of the Apple technology empire.

Name:

Scott Wilkinson.

Age:

52.

What is your business called?

SimplyFixIt.

Where is it based?

We have seven stores in and around Edinburgh and one in Glasgow.

What does it produce, what services does it offer?

First and foremost we’re a tech repair company, but we also sell a range of hardware and accessories.

We’re finding more and more of our custom is coming from the repair of apple products with the success of iPhones in the smartphone market. However, PC and other Microsoft devices are still making up the majority of our work with around 54 per cent of our time spent dealing with these kinds of computers, tablets and phones.

To whom does it sell?

Our demographic really is any person having trouble with their technology.

Interestingly, we’ve recently seen a sizeable increase in older people coming in to stores for repairs. The level of IT literacy seems to be on the up across the population and as such people are more confident in coming in for repairs rather than just replacing faulty devices.

What is its turnover?

Our profits have been growing with the business and its reach and our revenues hit £4.2 million over our 20th anniversary, a number that we’re delighted with.

How many employees?

35.

When was it formed?

The first shop opened in 1996 as Ideal Computing.

Why did you take the plunge?

I joined the company in 2006 with an entrepreneurial background.

I ran a web design company that I started in 1997 and sold in 2002 which is still going strong today, which is pretty gratifying.

IT was, and still is, a growing industry, it is fast paced and interesting.

SimplyFixIt has been able to grow with the industry and keep up with the ever-changing landscape.

You can see this in the number of devices people have nowadays. 20 years ago people would tend to have one desktop computer, now it’s common for someone to have a phone, a camera, a laptop, a tablet and a laptop. Not only does this keep us busy but it makes sure that what we do is varied and fresh from year to year and even month to month as technology develops.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I spent much of my career in sales but one of the highlights for me was being involved in promoting and organising snooker tournaments.

I was fortunate enough to be doing this with Stephen Hendry who was just breaking through on his way to winning seven World Championships.

Putting on tours and black tie events, I got to work quite closely with Stephen and his management team. In 1989 we organised a 55 frame UK challenge tour against Steve Davis, who was World Champion at the time, which certainly helped to raise Stephen’s profile.

The match consisted of 11 frame games in arenas throughout the UK, including sessions in Glasgow and Aberdeen. Fantastically, he was able to take quite a few frames from the champ, which definitely raised a few eyebrows.

Seems weird to think of an all-time great as an unknown, even if it was 25 years ago!

How did you raise the start-up funding?

The business started small on a small amount of private capital and has grown organically as opportunities have arisen.

What was your biggest break?

The move into Glasgow has gone well and convinced us that what had been seen as an Edinburgh-centric brand could work in other places.

What was your worst moment?

There haven’t been any disasters but the changing make-up of the market has certainly provided a challenge.

The fall in the retail prices of IT products like computers saw a lot of businesses making smaller and smaller mark-ups on the products they were selling. Thankfully, SimplyFixIt was able to adapt to this and succeed where some other businesses were not quite quick enough.

As laptops, in particular, have become cheaper they have become almost disposable and it can be difficult to get people to pay for a repair when they can get a whole new machine for under £300.

SimplyFixIt has been sure to take on board new technologies, such as smartphones, and that has seen us through a period that could have been perilous for us.

Stand still in this industry and you won’t be here long!

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

The continued growth is extremely exciting. Fixing a problem that a client maybe thought was unfixable is still very rewarding.

What do you least enjoy?

I have been working in Glasgow a lot for the newest shop which is exciting but the commute can be pretty draining.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To consolidate the success so far and push for more growth.

We always keep an eye out for new stores, wherever they may be.

What are your top priorities?

Growing our customer base, opening new branches, increasing the proportion of repairs undertaken and expanding our web presence.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

Less interference and lower business rates for SMEs would naturally help us.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

Never take anything for granted. Listen to your customers as you will always be able to learn something new.

You can’t second-guess the public. No theories or processes will ever be as good at giving you guidance on where to go next as listening to the people you serve and work with.

We like to think that we have been great at taking on board and responding to customer feedback which has helped us build up a loyal client-base. We have a reviews section on our website and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive but where it’s not we always try to address the issue at hand to resolve it and ensure that the next customer doesn’t feel the same way.

How do you relax?

I enjoy a spot of gardening when I get the chance.

It can be nice to get out into the fresh air surrounded by greenery in contrast to the synthetic world of tech.