Smart tech business ‘safe as houses'

About the business

Launched in 2016, TL Tech provides smart home solutions, specialising in transforming homes into caring as well as practical and entertaining spaces. Their comprehensive smart tech installation services include bespoke home automation, voice assistance, dashboards, and buttons. Through these services, TL Tech provides accessible smart home technology to enhance lives, helping users to maintain their independence as well as make their homes more energy efficient.

TL Tech ensures it stands out against the competition by offering its client a fully integrated personalised experience. The team at TL Tech boasts capability in Internet of Things (IoT) hardware and software design, prototyping, voice user interface design, and music technology. Their Kindspace voice application for Amazon Alexa provides wellbeing support, a service which is vital now in the wake of the pandemic.

Business Gateway has helped significantly with our marketing and social media development, which enabled us to pivot our business to operate remotely but still provide our clients with the support they need. We were able to identify important growth opportunities in the smart home space and widen our capability into voice application development.

How Business Gateway has helped

TL Tech worked closely with Business Gateway who signposted them to funding and training opportunities. This enabled the business to adapt to the digital environment induced by the pandemic with the creation of a remote support service for their smart home clients and the launch of Kindspace. Since then, TL Tech has gone on to create two smart home demo facilities, one located at the Fraserburgh college campus and the other a mobile smart home on wheels. These activities have helped the business grow to a team of five.

TL Tech accessed a range of start-up services including advice on their business plan and support with their strategic goal which led to the adoption of a remote delivery model. TL Tech were also able to access further help through DigitalBoost, the Scottish digital upskilling programme delivered through Business Gateway. Through this, the TL Tech team were able to access 1:1 support and a Digital Health Check which has resulted in TL Tech moving into a whole new market with global potential.

Caroline Laurenson, Managing Director of TL Tech, said: “The 1-2-1 support that we received via Business Gateway has been a key factor in our ability to deal with the challenges we faced at the start of the pandemic. Our adviser also gave us helpful direction when we began re-developing our business strategy.”

John MacGillivray, Business Gateway adviser, said: “Caroline and Thomas’ drive carried them through the pandemic and their openness to adapt and take on new information is remarkable.

“By working with Business Gateway, Caroline and Thomas have been able to furnish themselves with new skills and take their business to the next level with their new service offering.”