News: RiDO steps in to fill business support gap

Rotherham Investment & Development Office (RiDO) has established Rotherham Ready For Business to provide crucial business support for would-be entrepreneurs as they start the journey of setting up a business in the borough.

Managed by, RiDO, the business and regeneration arm of the Council, the local initiative is part of the national Ready For Business programme sponsored by Barclays, and offers potential start-up businesses the opportunity to get ready for business success through proper training, support, advice and commercial investment.

The new RiDO programme fills a gap in business support for new start up businesses after the demise of Business Link and a vast reduction in government funding. In the borough, Barnsley and Rotherham Chanmber runs the New Enterprise Allowance scheme to help unemployed people plan, develop and start their own business. Rotherham Youth Enterprise provides self-employment support and advice for young people under the age of 30.

Rotherham Ready for Business includes a free introductory one-day event for all, which covers the fundamentals of setting up in business including financial forecasting, taxation/VAT, marketing and business planning.

Individuals will then be invited to participate in the next stage of the programme which includes one-to-one assessments with an experienced, independent business adviser; an intensive support programme, leading to the development of a robust business plan, and dedicated ongoing support both before and after the business starts trading.

Tim O'Connell, business development manager at RiDO, said: "Over the past ten years the Rotherham area has been a great location for people wanting to set up their own businesses. Since 2000, RIDO's Business Centres has been home to over 500 businesses, creating around 1,800 jobs, and many former tenants have gone on to become larger, established businesses, operating in global markets."

RiDO runs four dedicated business incubation centres across the borough and provides business support for high growth business and those looking to export.

One business that has benefited from RiDO's offer is Vonhatski Amps, which designs and hand builds professional quality guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets from their base in RiDO's Century Business Centre at Manvers.

Owner Stefan Suchacki explains how RiDO has helped his business in the early years since its launch in 2011; "Without the support of RiDO it is safe to assume that our high growth strategy would have suffered. With RiDO I know I have instant access to a legion of business professionals more than happy to help in any way they can to bring success to my business, the local area, and the national economy.

"Through the RiDO support network we have benefited from free assistance in a great many areas such as HR, marketing, establishing a profile in Europe, networking, grants, and one-to-one assistance from a RiDO business development professional.

"Any new business has the potential to be a success, but inviting the support of RiDO will make the journey that little bit more enjoyable."

The next Ready For Business workshop takes place on December 12 at Moorgate Crofts Business Centre.

RiDO website
Vonhatski Amps website

Images: RiDO

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News: Vonhatski Amps starting to make waves

Vonhatski Amplification, the Rotherham-based designer and manufacturer of guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets, is sending waves through the music world and gaining a number of endorsements.

Based in Rotherham Investment & Development Office's (RiDO's) Century Business Centre in Manvers, Stefan Suchacki, a former electronics engineer, is on a mission to design the very best all valve guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets in the world and hand­-build them in Britain.

After years of development, the company launched the Purelight 1206 Series of dual rectifier all valve driven guitar amplifiers which are already being seen across festival stages and leading in-door venues all over Europe. What's more, they are being used and endorsed by some of the finest professional guitarists performing and recording with the world's biggest names in music.

Stefan Suchacki, managing director at Vonhatski Amplification (pictured above, right), said: "There are two types of amp on the market, the cheap ones made in China and the high quality ones used by serious professionals. Ours is the latter and is already being used by well-respected musicians."

Guitarist Greg Bone is an in demand leading session guitarist who has worked with Westlife, Tom Jones, Girls Aloud, Boyzone, Simply Red, Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys amongst many other multimillion album selling artists. Greg is about to go on tour with Ronan Keating and will be taking Vonhatski amps with him.

Greg said: "I came across Stef's amps at Strawberry Fields Festival in Leicestershire this year and instantly loved the clean sound and how easy they are to use; they knock spots off of anything similar. Vonhatski were the guitar amplification sponsor for three of the main stages at the festival. It's the first time I've come across an amp where you just plug in and go.

"I love the two channels, one as clean as a cat's ass, the other with great hairy balls; it definitely has both sides of the coin and it works."

Stefan applied for a grant from UK Steel Enterprise's Kickstart Fund with help from Rotherham Youth Enterprise (RYE). Kickstart Fund applicants based in the Borough of Rotherham can get support from RiDO to help them find work premises, sometimes with discounted rental rates. RYE works alongside UK Steel Enterprise to help applicants with business planning and mentoring through the early stages of running a new business.

UK Steel Enterprise has helped over 200 people start a business in Rotherham since 2009.

Allan Wood, regional executive from UK Steel Enterprise, a subsidiary of Tata Steel (pictured above, left), said: "We launched the Kickstart Fund to help boost the local economy and Stefan is currently supporting 25 jobs in his supply chain as well as the two sales people he is employing.

"It would've been easy to have the amps built in the Far East but Stefan knows the value of the British brand abroad and is making very good use of it. He has already signed up four of the 50 independent retailers in the UK he is targeting and has outlets on the Continent interested in stocking his equipment."

Jackie Frost, manager of RYE, added: "Stefan is a great example of a young entrepreneur with vision and a passion for his business. We are happy to have helped him through the grant application process and look forward to providing further support as his business grows and takes on more people."

Stefan is currently working on setting up distributors across the Scandinavian countries and then for every European country, before tackling his major targets North and South America early next year.

Backing and endorsements for Vonhatski Amps come from the likes of Jimmy Hiltula, legendary Swedish rocker of the band Sister Sin and the Bad Boys of British Rock, Jayde Starr and Rozey of Falling Red. Vonhatski is also supporting two American singer / songwriters, Robert Tepper and Reagan Browne, on their UK tours.

Vonhatski Amplification website
UK Steel Enterprise website

Images: UK Steel Enterprise

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News: Sound advice for Vonhatski Amplification

A new British amp brand is ready to rock the music industry with guitar amps designed and manufactured here in Rotherham.

Vonhatski Amplification is owned by Stefan Suchacki, an enterprising electronics engineer and keen guitarist, who has spent the last two years developing his own unique guitar amplification range. It has set up in Rotherham with support from by RiDO's Soft Landing Zone.

Stefan, who lives in Goldthorpe near Barnsley, studied Aerospace Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University before working as an electronics engineer for some of Norway's leading oil production companies. He needed a new amplification system for his guitar and wasn't impressed with what was available on the market, so took the matter into his own hands.

Stefan (pictured, above), said: "I couldn't find an amplifier suitable, so spent almost two years developing a dual rectifier amp brand of my own. It's really exciting now I have a product range with different sizes of amplifier, with heads and speaker cabinets. We are the only British company that designs and manufactures its products here, using British components – it's something I'm really proud of."

After a long period of in depth testing, which included gruelling tours with major artists to get their input, Vonhatski launched the hand-built Purelight 1206 range of amplifiers and speaker cabinets in 2013 and has already picked up rave reviews and recommendations from industry publications.

Vonhatski Amplification has taken space in RiDO's Century Business Centre in Manvers which means that it can take advantage of the business support on offer from the Growth and Prosperity in Rotherham (Soft Landing Zone) project that aims to assist Rotherham companies in accessing international markets and also helps foreign inward investors who choose to locate to RiDO's business centres.

RiDO's Julia Millea was able to support Stefan with translations for his product catalogue into Japanese, to comply with current legislation for international published material of this type. Julia, business development co-ordinator at RiDO, said: "It has been fantastic to work with Stefan and to see his business taking off so quickly. We hope to be able to support his continued expansion across Europe and the USA, it's a great South Yorkshire success story."

Stefan added: "Julia from RiDO's Soft Landing Zone has given me both practical support, as well as some really good contacts to help with the international side of the business. She put me in touch with Enterprise Europe, which means my products will be advertised internationally. She also helped me to secure a grant through UK Steel Enterprise, which has enabled me to buy new IT equipment." 

Stefan is currently working on setting up distributors across the Scandinavian countries and then for every European country, before tackling his major targets North and South America early next year.

Stefan adds: "As my business grows, I'll be looking for distributors across the world and will be working closely with RiDO to help me do this."

RiDO is hosting an International Trade Workshop at the Fusion Business Centre in Templeborough on October 8 from 10-1pm.

Vonhatski Amplification website
RiDO website

Images: RiDO

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