€¢ Who are you?

We are Justine Nicholson and Graham Nicholson and our business is ELKAH Ltd

€¢ What does your business do?

We are cycling accessory designers and we will soon be launching our first product, Velojackr.

Velojackr is a small, portable container that holds vital puncture repair equipment and converts to a repair stand to protect your bike from dirt and ground abrasion when repairing a puncture on the road.

The container/box part of Velojackr is not much bigger than an inner tube box.

The box contains puncture repair equipment (3 tyre levers, inner tube patches and task gloves) and a water-resistant saddle protector.

The box slides apart to convert to 2 handlebar stands which keep your handlebars off the ground to protect your bike and handlebar-mounted accessories from dirt and ground abrasion when you're repairing a puncture.

€¢ Where are you based?

We are based in Paisley in our office at home, which helps keep start-up costs down. It is also close to the offices of Entrepreneurial Spark's Business Accelerator Programme where we regularly attend for support and collaboration with other start-ups.

€¢ How did you get started?

We got started while out on a bike ride! Our Operations Director, Graham Nicholson, got a puncture and started removing his handlebar-mounted accessories so that he could turn his bike upside-down without damaging them and remove the wheel. Realising there MUST be a better way than this, we came up with the basic concept that would become Velojackr. Speaking with local cycling enthusiasts confirmed the pain point is widely felt.

€¢ What is your background

Both keen cyclists, our Managing Director, Justine Nicholson, has a degree in English Literature and a background in Project Risk Management. Graham Nicholson is a former manufacturing engineer with 20 years' experience in start-ups and multi-national blue chips and is now a firefighter.

€¢ What is your top tip?

Most people running a start-up still work their day jobs (if they want to pay the mortgage) and we are no different.

With a large family - we have five children - time management has been critical, so our top tip would be to prioritise tasks and break the big ones down into manageable chunks (and to keep in mind that, no matter how long you think something will take, it's likely to take double.)

€¢ Has anyone helped you get started and how?

We've been working with Entrepreneurial Spark for over a year and have recently moved onto their Nest programme. Without the support of Entrepreneurial Spark and our enablers, we wouldn't have progressed nearly as quickly as we have. Their boot camp business training, coaching, access to mentors, collaborative environment and networking opportunities have been invaluable to us.

€¢ What was your biggest mistake/or what would you do differently?

We've made lots of mistakes along the way, but neither of us would do things differently. Each mistake has taught us to adapt and overcome difficulties and have put us on the path to where we are now. There will be many more mistakes to come and, hopefully, each of them will teach us something new.

€¢ Who was/is your mentor/or inspiration?

Lord Willie Haughey has been an inspiration and a role model to us. With hard work and determination, he and his wife have progressed from a modest background to where they are today, and they remain genuine, good people who 'pay it forward' in so many ways.

€¢ Where do you plan your business to be in five years time?

In five years' time, we will have established an international reputation for high quality, innovative products.

€¢ Useful contacts

www.facebook.com/Velojackr

Twitter - @Velojackr

Instagram - Velojackr

€¢ Contact Details

Justine Nicholson Justine.nicholson@elkah.co.uk

Graham Nicholson graham.nicholson@elkah.co.uk