Day in the Life - Steven Williams

Steven Williams, 34 from Lisburn runs a cycle repair workshop ‘X-it Cycles’ at Unit 26 Lisburn Enterprise Centre off the Ballinderry Road.
Steven Williams. INUS1313-CYCLESteven Williams. INUS1313-CYCLE
Steven Williams. INUS1313-CYCLE

He has been interested in bikes all his life and worked in the industry for many years before deciding to branch out on his own and start up his own business with the help of the Lisburn Enterprise Organisation.

I leave my house at about 8am to go to my workshop.

I check emails which may have come from suppliers telling me parts have been dispatched or there could be inquiries from customers.

I will check over the bikes in store which need to be worked on and I will prioritise what needs to be done.

As well as this I could be ordering parts, giving quotes to people and updating customers on their bikes.

Most of my time is taken up with actually repairing the bikes.

I have a great passion for this and enjoy taking them apart and fixing them for the customers.

I could be repairing punctures, carrying out a routine service or completely stripping the bike and rebuilding it from scratch.

There’s always a variety of jobs at the one time.

I also set up bikes which are bought in boxes.

This is particularly popular at Christmas time.

It just means the bike can be used straight away and doesn’t require any work from the customer themselves which makes it hassle free for them.

If there’s some spare time I will be searching the internet for new bikes on the market and I’ll be trying to familarise myself with new parts and technology.

I like keeping up to date with what’s going on in the cycling industry. I work on all types of bikes and I try to familarise myself with all the latest bikes being released onto the market.

It’s good to have knowledge on a wide variety of bikes.

I also have the administration side of the business to do as well. I try to get the paperwork and invoices out of the way so I can concentrate on the repairs.

With only being a new business I am still keen to promote my work and let people know that I am here.

I have been busy trying to get a web page designed and promotional leaflets sorted too. Social networking is important too so all of this is keeping me really busy.

I have to optimise all the available tools out there.

I would like to be able to extend my services to be able to include schools in the area.

I normally work 9-5pm but on request I can open earlier or stay later.

I live close by so it’s handy enough if a customer can only come at a certain time in the evening to get their bike from me.

I really enjoy the challenge of running my own business.

It was scary at the beginning wondering how it would all work out but so far so good.

I think having lots of car parking available and the business being in a convenient area is proving to be advantageous and I hope people will continue to support my work knowing they are getting a great service which is friendly and reliable.

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