Into the Spotlight, sponsored by Huddersfield-based Scriba PR, is a weekly business feature which highlights lesser-known businesses that generally go under the radar. Here, we highlight Vapour, a cloud technology specialist based in Lindley.
Considering the company was launched eight years ago before the market was ready for cloud technology, it could have been a very different story for Huddersfield-based Vapour.
But take a look at the company today, and you’ll find a fast-growing team of talented, jargon-busting tech experts with their sights set on £7m turnover for 2021.
The business was established by former soldier Tim Mercer – a local lad – back in 2013. He sold everything he owned – including his family home – to turn his bold idea into a reality, and having never approached investors in his life, he secured £4m of investment to help make it work!
His vision was to make next generation workplace technology attainable for organisations irrespective of size and budget, so that they too could access future-proofed solutions that would supercharge their flexibility, connectedness and security status.
“Things were tough in the earlier years,” said Tim. “I wore every ‘hat’ in the business, and the days were long. Initially people were wary of taking the leap with a new brand they hadn’t heard of – especially because sticking with more traditional ‘on premise’ technology felt like the safer option.
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“But some brilliantly talented and experienced colleagues came on board in the early days, and together, we began to slowly challenge misconceptions about cloud tech, while breaking down barriers to projects – not least cost and jargon – in the process.”
In fact, a recent company rebrand saw the team have ‘no holds barred’ conversations with customers in late 2020, to discover what they really think about working with Vapour, and the people within the business came out just as popular as the firm’s tech products.
“We work with everyone from local SMEs to national household names such as JCT600 and Betfred,” continued Tim. “We therefore have to be flexible, open minded and challenging in our approach. Customers love this, and I think it’s helped us stand out in a really crowded space.”
The rebrand was about much more than a logo refresh. The overhaul coincided with a transition away from four key product sets – cloud voice, video, networks and storage – to a far more sophisticated toolkit including robotic process automation, state-of-the-art SD-WAN networks, cutting edge cloud security products, Microsoft services, business intelligence and more.
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“We may have evolved what we’re capable of,” continued Tim. “But we’re staying true to the same mission. That’s making the complex simple, clever and powerful, to organisations of all shapes and sizes!
“Now everyone is talking about digital transformation, we’re considered a safe pair of hands, therefore our growth has been demonstrable over the past 12 months. We’ll never just settle for ‘OK’, we want to make the impossible possible, and will protect our clients’ businesses to the Nth degree.”
Fast forward to 2021, and the firm has never been busier. Having recently relocated to Heritage Exchange – the converted textiles mill in Lindley – the team now has a beautifully refurbished open place space to promote collaborative working.
“We’ve made some crucial hires and promotions this year,” added Tim. “And we’ve a couple more roles to fill over the coming months.
“Providing an inspiring space for staff is therefore crucial. We want to attract the best talent in the business, not to mention fresh ‘blood’ who might want to cut their teeth in the tech sector.”
