North-east entrepreneur Steve Williams has gone from running stove refurbishment firm Saltire Cookers from a small garden shed to his own showroom in only three years.
And Saltire’s turnover is on track to hit £500,000 this year following its move into leased commercial property at City South Business Park in Portlethen, near Aberdeen.
It is a giant step up from the little garden workshop Mr Williams previously ran his business from in Inverbervie.
The new showroom is currently undergoing a re-fit, with new kitchen cabinets, worktops and flooring.
As good as new
Saltire sells reconditioned Aga cookers. It also offers an electrical conversion service for oil, gas or solid fuel Agas, as well as refurbishment options for its customers’ old stoves.
Expertise with Agas, which were invented and initially produced in Sweden, runs in the family. Mr Williams’ father, Steve Johnson, started working with the popular range cookers in 1988, in Liverpool.
Saltire’s 31-year-old founder worked in IT support for five years before launching his own business.
He has already set his sights set on growing sales overseas, on the back of demand from Italy and France.
The business, which also stocks cookware, accessories and spares, was a finalist in the 2022 Elevator Awards.
Getting it launched during the Covid-19 pandemic and growing it from there was always going to be a challenge.
Luckily for Mr Williams, Business Gateway answered his call for help and came up with a start-up support package worth up to £18,000.
This has included one-to-one support from a dedicated business adviser, as well as valuable advice on funding, strategic planning, and access to specialist market research reports.
Support from Business Gateway has also helped Mr Williams establish a plan for managing growing demand for Saltire’s services, which led to him using subcontractors.
Mr Williams said: “It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day operations and sales when running your own business.
“The support and regular check-ins we received from Business Gateway allowed me to focus on growing and setting goals to scale. Having that one-to-one contact has been really beneficial for asking any questions, utilising industry contacts and organising support.”
It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day operations and sales when running your own business.”
Steve Williams, owner and founder, Saltire Cookers
Business Gateway adviser Guilherme Theiss De Rosso said: “Saltire Cookers has grown immensely over the last few months, and I look forward to watching them continue to grow in the future.”
Mr Johnson helps with installations and conversions now and then, but focuses most of his time on his own company, carrying out servicing and repairs throughout Scotland.
Conversation