Lawlor Technologies is a mobile and web app development company which builds bespoke solutions for other companies, from start-ups to large organisations. It was founded by Chris Lawlor after he completed a Computer Science degree at Strathclyde. He is currently the Managing Director but is still very much involved as a full stack software developer, creating applications and code on a daily basis.
Chris initially engaged with Strathclyde Inspire as a student after discussing his business idea with his course supervisor, who guided him in the direction of the team. He was advised how to register the business and received guidance on the best route forward. He went on to secure a place on the Inspire Accelerator programme, which enabled him to grow his business over a six-month period. Chris gained knowledge from workshops on topics including legalities, marketing, public speaking, investor pitching and finance, but the most valuable support he received was the connections he made; he was put in touch with an accountant, who he still uses to this day, six years later! After completing the accelerator programme, Chris rented an office space in the Graham Hills building – where the Inspire Hub is based – for six months before moving to another office in Glasgow.
Creating valuable technology for people and businesses was Chris’ goal which led him to start a business, after initially being inspired by his final year project at university. He went on to develop a CPR skill for Amazon’s Alexa, which guides people through the steps necessary to carry out emergency CPR. This went viral online and received over 500,000 downloads! Chris has recently gone viral again after his outdoor content where he explores nature trails around Scotland has positioned him as a travel influencer. The short videos have attracted a huge following on Instagram and TikTok, allowing him to work in partnership with established brands such as Visit Scotland.
A passion for automation is what motivates Chris. His goal is to create automated processes that enable people to save time and focus their attention on higher priority skill-based tasks. He enjoys the problem solving necessary to achieve this and is always looking for ways to increase productivity and time efficiency within client projects and his own business, particularly as technology continues to improve and becomes more integrated with Artificial Intelligence.
Next steps for Lawlor Technologies are to create more revenue streams by diversifying the services and products on offer, which will minimise risk over time. Artificial Intelligence is likely to be an increasingly important part of the company’s future, as it is already used daily to assist with coding, and so Chris is excited to see how the business will continue to adapt to this.
A piece of advice that Chris would offer to early-stage entrepreneurs is to be able to delegate tasks when the time is right. He highlights how early-stage entrepreneurs will likely be responsible for every aspect of their business in the beginning, which is great for learning new skills and getting a taste of what is required to run a business, however he emphasises the importance eventually delegating the tasks you are less skilled at, to ensure your time is used as valuably as possible.
When asked about his definition of success within entrepreneurship, Chris reflects on how his idea of this has evolved over the years.
I used to think that a successful entrepreneur was someone who secured a huge investment or has a business that turns over millions - but I have also seen entrepreneurs who have fallen into this success category but are unfulfilled and unhappy. So, while having a highly profitable business is still a true form of success in entrepreneurship (there’s no denying that), success to me is about passion and personal fulfilment, and creating a work environment which prioritises people and they enjoy. I think aiming to create many jobs that people love is the key to growing a successful business.
