TEDCO caught up with Sean Wainwright, founder of Racing Sims North East, to find out more about how his business has found its feet and delivers on its promise of delivering thrills to the people of the North East.
Having completed the Digital Track programme – funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority and delivered by TEDCO Business Support – we also asked Sean what appealed to him about the fully-funded programme, and how he thinks it will help his business nab first place.
Racing Sims was born, in Sean’s own words, “over a bad bottle of wine”. Having worked in the police for thirty years, Sean didn’t feel ready to embrace retirement just yet. He wanted to work for himself, and racing simulation presented a fun and inviting option.
Sean says,
“At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I’ve always been a fan of racing simulators. In fact, I’ve had one set up in my house for years. During COVID, when races were getting cancelled, I started seeing adverts for E-Grand Prix. All the professional drivers were at home simulating real races.
“I enjoyed it, and thought, if I enjoy it as a hobby, what if I could offer good quality, professional simulators as a business.”
After some market research, Sean noticed a gap in the market for racing simulator businesses in the North East. This was something he describes as a “double-edged sword”, saying,
“I thought: there’s nobody up here doing it, so we can do it, but at the same time, why are they not doing it? Is it because it’s not going to work? Eventually, I decided to give it a go.”
And time has told that Sean made the right decision, with Racing Sims already offering their services at weddings, charity fundraising balls, birthday parties, and even engineering exhibitions.
“80% of my work so far has come via recommendations from people who’ve seen it at a venue or an event, and that goes to show that people love the experience. We’re providing a service that’s entertaining and enjoyable.”
One of the first challenges Sean faced was creating a set-up that was transportable and easy to assemble, as traditional simulator rigs take around four hours to build and dismantle. After seeking the services of an aerospace engineer in London, Sean was the proud owner of a completely bespoke, self-contained racing simulator.
“All I’ve got to do is plug it into the wall and fit the screen on top. Setting it up in a venue takes about 15-20 minutes in total. We’ve also converted a van so we can do outdoor events, or operate from a driveway for parties at home.”
Getting on Digital Track
A bespoke rig is a big expense, and this naturally gave Sean some trepidation about moving forwards with his business. He says,
“We were in a negative for the first two years, and this year we’re expecting to break even. After that, we’ll hopefully be turning a profit. It’s a slow burn. I think the most difficult thing is that the buck stops with you. You make the decisions and you make the mistakes.”
However, joining the Digital Track programme and completing both the digital marketing and growth modules gave him the network and support he needed to persevere.
“It’s easy to lose focus when running a business, but the courses helped ensure I was on track – literally! It’s also nice to speak to other people who’ve got completely different businesses, seeing how they’re doing things, and deciding what worked for my business and what didn’t.
“They gave me space to look ahead and future-proof. Sometimes, as a business owner, you operate hand-to-mouth, but being able to step back and think, where do I want to be in a year’s time, or even five years’ time, is priceless.
“It encourages you to ask what growth means to you, whether it’s more money, or more staff, or more flexibility. The fact that the modules are free is great. As much as anything else, it helps you connect with other people. I’ve made a lot of connections through LinkedIn as a result of doing the courses.”
In fact, Sean says that if he hadn’t had the support of TEDCO and Bill Hartshorne, Business Advisor, he doubts his business would still be up and running.
“It gave me both professional and emotional support, reassuring me that what I had was a good idea. If I only had the doubts in my head to listen to, I’d have sold the rig off a long time ago. Running a business can be isolating, but the course allowed me to get out and meet people and learn something at the same time.”
TEDCO Business Advisor, Bill Hartshorne, adds,
“Digital Track is designed to help entrepreneurs like Sean hit the ground running and embrace the tools available to them. It’s great to see that the added ability to network with other entrepreneurs has already proved itself useful for him.
“I’m delighted the courses have been of benefit to Sean and that he’ll be looking to utilise what he’s learned as his business continues to grow.”
The Digital Track programme is offered exclusively to businesses based in North Tyneside, Newcastle and Northumberland and is funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority as part of the Digital Business Pipeline programme, which includes key partners including Sunderland Software City, Ignite and Northumbria University’s IC3. Digital Track offers support in a number of different areas – including marketing, growth and leadership courses – delivered through a combination of in-person and online workshops.
To find out more about our courses, click here. To see more from Racing Sims, check out their website here.