JULY 2012 One Day Ill Fly Away -The PAL-V Flying Car

How a 21 yr old student made $1 million CROCS or JIBBITZ? RISK & REWARD

PIXEL ADVERTISING

WHATS THIS? SEE Page 16

EXTRAORDINARY STORIES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE

Caseys Story Should you enter the Den? Should you concentrate on one product? CROCS v JIBBITZ Do you create a trend....or improve an existing product?

WHAT I DID AND WHY Pages 4 - 5

Inventions on the verge of success.
Anaya Cosmetics - Pages 8 - 9 PAL-V Flying Car - Pages 14 - 15 Blockage Buster - Pages 22 - 24 Ordimo - Page 27 Pizza Ball - Pages 30 - 31 Pipfrog - Page 33 Vest

Pages 6 - 7

The Dragons arent always right!

Page 11

Up and coming Entrepreneurs.

Thijs de Boer - Pages 12 - 13

How A man traded a paperclip for a HOUSE.

Big Red Paperclip - Pages 16 - 17

PIXEL ADVERTISING
How did a hard-up student devise a cunning plan to make $1 million which became one of the most brilliant internet phenomenons of our age and spawned a new concept in advertising
Pages 20 - 21

A selection of franchises
Oven Rescue - Pages 36-37 Business Doctors - Page 38 O2PPS - Page 39 PVC Wizard - Pages 40-41 Riverford Organic Farms - Page 42 Snack in a Box - Page 43 Razzamataz - Pages 44-45 Minters Fine Foods - Page 46 Suit the City - Page 47 Sure2Dorr Leaflet delivery - Page 48 Techs Direct - Page 49

Successful Inventions of the Past.

Windscreen Wipers - Page 19 Brazen Bull - Page 25 Coca Cola - Page 28 Tupperware - Page 32

Orange Rabbit - How a single mother of 5 can

set-up and operate a successful business from home......and we can highly recommend her! Pages - 34-35

Letters from readers - Page 50 - 51 Young Entrepreneurs. - Page 52 Jacobs Ladder - Page 53

So WHATS MY STORY?

TELL US YOUR STORY

www.inventorsshowcasemagazine.com WE GET A STORY YOU GET PUBLICITY
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The Dragons dont always get it right!

As we all know, business funding is a risky business 'You may well in fact have intended to operate a and by the very nature of the programme, even more legitimate business but the means that you chose to establish that business were in my judgement so on Dragons Den. thoroughly dishonest. You lied about the ownership of crucial equipment It is not surprising that there will occasionally be:which was pivotal to your pitch on TV. Business opportunities that the Dragons DO 'You created a wholly false trail of documents to NOT invest in, that go on to be huge financial deceive well intentioned people. successes You have lied so many times about so many Business opportunities that the dragons DO features that in my judgement I am entitled to regard invest in that turn out to be failures that as an aggravating feature. But one thing that nobody would ever have expected It is clear to me that from an early stage you were would be that the Dragons could or would be conned! redirecting monies and indeed appropriating funds for your own purposes, you were responsible for a number of different frauds within that main fraud. I have personally been through the BBC screening for this programme and can testify that the production team are absolutely meticulous in their research. No But Baumgartner blamed the failure of the business to take off by claiming he had not received the stone is left unturned and every aspect of the support, advice and expertise the Dragons had business is checked. promised. When a contestant enters the Den, the Dragons have no pre knowledge of the idea or the person pitching. But they have comfort in the knowledge that anything that is stated as a fact has been checked by the researchers beforehand. All the more shocking then that they should not only have been lied to, in front of 6.5 million viewers, but also tricked into handing over 100,000 more than they had committed to! How did it happen? The contestant, that turned out to be a conman was 50 yr old, Swiss born, Jean-Claude Baumgartner. On a special Sport-Relief edition of the programme, he convinced Peter Jones and Theo Pathetis to invest 130,000 in a Satnav device for skiers. Answering all their technical and business questions and backing up with impressive letters of support and future orders. However, within a few months he stood before a Judge in Blackfriars Crown Court accused of swindling the Dragons out of a total of 230.000. Which the prosecution proved had been spent on a lavish champagne lifestyle for himself and his girlfriend, with whom he had rented a luxury house in Hampstead. Rebecca Trowler, defending, said he had already invested over 250,000 in the product which had been designed by his business associate Paul Burrowes. Ms Trowler said: He certainly felt that he did not receive the support, expertise and resources that had been promised and is regularly promised to those on Dragons Den, to those who give up a substantial percentage of their business. She said he genuinely believed in the product and the business and thought it would work out so in desperation got the extra cash. She pleaded with the judge for a suspended sentence so that her client could continue to launch his fabulous creation, the ski satnav. She said the father of two believed that if freed he could pay the Dragons back within six months. He admitted he had lied to get the loan but within weeks of the pitch he got the sole rights to the Satski, which had won a gadget show award, as promised, she told the court. The episode of the hit BBC show was filmed in June 2009 but was not aired until March 2010 when the business had already encountered trouble. It was then discovered that a company he was part of, Piste Activities, had hit the rocks with 200,000 losses and over 100,000 debts.

Sentencing him to two years and eight months in jail, As a result of the revelations, the already suspicious Judge Aidan Marron QC, said: The fact remains that investors looked into the accounts and uncovered the you have been responsible for persistent dishonesty. fraud. Judge Marron added: You could have enjoyed a privileged existence without resorting to dishonesty. 11

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THE TRADES

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STAR LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

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A New Business Opportunity

Oven Rescue was started by Mike Harris in 2008 after he was made redundant twice in one year! Whilst on holiday in Spain to discuss with his wife what to do next, he met a businessman who had retired to the continent after selling his oven cleaning business. Following significant research, training and encouragement from friends and family, Mike decided to start Oven Rescue in Horsham. The business took off quickly, thanks in part to Mikes 20 years of experience in marketing. Initially he delivered leaflets, and within two hours his phone started ringing! Within one month he was cleaning an average of two ovens a day. This has now increased to an average four a day, and Mike can Mike has 3 key targets that he looks to achieve each day: To maintain existing clients he always sticks to best practice, ensuring every client is pleased with the service and more than happy to recommend Oven Rescue, and rebook themselves. New clients are attracted by leaflet drops, follow-up referrals, and advertisements in local media to guarantee future success. Each days business is managed on the same day. Before closing the day, all enquiries and paper work is completed so Mike is always ready for the next days business. Oven Rescue is now a fantastic opportunity. Mike is looking for people who are motivated, enthusiastic, and conscientious, with a good level of personal fitness. You must have a full driving license, good interpersonal skills, smart appearance, honest and be able to work on your own. This business opportunity is available for as little as 8,500! Franchisees benefit from sole rights to a given territory, start-up support, two weeks initial training and further ongoing training, in field support, business development, marketing, branding guidelines, updates and management systems to schedule repeat business. Tel: 01403 820996 Mobile: 07772 991726 www.ovenrescue.co.uk Mike@ovenrescue.co.uk

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franchise your own area of oven rescue group

find out how to go about this
Firstly I would recommend thinking about whether this is for you. Are you motivated, enthusiastic, conscientious? Are you able to communicate face-to-face and over the telephone? Can you manage time and work on your own? Oven Rescue wish to expand it's oven cleaning business across all regions of the UK with the initial focus being on the South East. As a Franchisee, you will be buying into a business that has repeat custom. Your investment will provide you with the following benefits:
Respected brand identity, local marketing literature including business cards Knowledge of both the domestic and commercial range of ovens Pricing structure guidance and support for your area High standard of training and support

So come on, take control of your destiny with Oven Rescue Group!

mikeharris, managing director

You will need to be able to operate the day to day business, put in the hours to meet your targets and provide feedback to head office weekly, as well as comply with the franchise agreement and stick rigidly to our best practice terms. Next, you need to draw up a list of any questions you may have and a list of reasons why the opportunity is right for you. Why do you believe you will be successful? We will meet to discuss your commitment and what Oven Rescue Group do to support you. We also need to agree your territory, produce a budget and business plan. Training will also need to be scheduled in, then signing of the franchise agreement. We will always be there of offer support and advise. We want you to feel part of a team and to use our knowledge and experience to guide you. Tel: 01403 820996 Oven Rescue Group is the holding company for the Souths most rapidly expanding oven cleaning franchises. We love oven cleaning and take great pride in bringing ovens back to their former glory! Customer service and satisfaction is our top priority. 90% of our customers come back to us each time they need their oven cleaned which is fantastic. Oven Rescue Group began with one van covering West Sussex but now everything is in place for the Group to grow from strength to strength to cover the rest of the UK with franchisees buying into the business. Our franchisees are very important to us and we pride ourselves on excellent training and first class support during the whole process. If you would like to view a prospectus please contact us. Once you have looked through it, we can meet to discuss your ambition of having your own franchise. 37

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Window Cleaning Franchise.

Whilst growing my own business I realised there is a lot to learn and through experience I have been able to iron out the mistakes or bad decisions including over spending in areas which were not needed. I am now in a position in the business where all the experiences whether great, good or bad have been compiled together to allow us as a team to be able to provide you with all that is required to make your business successful in as short a time as possible and to add, ensure you do not waste hard earned money in the areas not needed. O2PPS will place you in the right direction for you to grow a successful business with an annual turn over from 39k to 60k with profits of 20k plus in your first year alone! (Please note: these figures are only based on window cleaning alone, there are many other cleaning requirements that automatically will be offered to you via your loyal customer which really does boost your overall profit margin). As the franchisor we will provide you with everything needed for you to succeed, this can include a Brand new sign-written vehicle, Reach & Wash Equipment, online Work data base, back office support, accounts production and even the marketing and canvassing of the work if you require. The Franchisees we work with come from various working backgrounds and some had never cleaned a frame & pane of glass before. They now run their own window cleaning businesses and have never been more stable in life or financially.

Imagine this... Being in control,

Owning your own business, total control of your income, feeling that well deserved satisfaction you get from the time and effort you have contributed to your bright future achieving financial security in your life. So, no doubt for quite some time now you have considered taking that step forward in order to generate your own income, you watch many other individuals doing so, so you ask yourself, WHY NOT ME? but, there is that niggling voice in your head constantly nagging at you... Are you sure?, what about the costs?, can I raise the funds needed?, will I have the time to market myself?, and to add.. I need the customer base in order for this to work.

Well, this is why O2PPS window cleaning franEach franchisee has tailored their business to suit them chise services is probably the right choice for you, personally. Some franchisees are money orientated othI know this because Ive actually gone through this ers not so, but they are all In Control of their future. journey personally. We at O2PPS hope this short read will allow you to be in touch with us. We strive as a business to secure our future, and we promise that we will work with you to secure yours.

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Grab This Opportunity

This is a fantastic business opportunity in a huge, untapped market - PVC Wizard has shown that the market exists for a skilled and professional company with a proven operating system. It is ideal for first-time business owners or people changing careers. No business experience, tools or equipment is necessary - we will provide everything you will need to set up in your area. PVC Wizard is the first nationally franchised operation of conservatory cleaning specialists and our aim is to be the clear market leader. With your help PVC Wizard will always be recognised as the best.Be your own boss by running a PVC conservatory specialist cleaning company with the best brand in the business.

BECOME A PVC WIZ

Help Us Create More Brilliantly Clean Conservatories

Like working outside? Prefer working with your hands? Enjoy meeting new people every day? Motivated to drive your own success?
Being a PVC Wizard franchisee could be for you.

The Market
Take a look around any housing estate and you will notice the large number of conservatory and PVC installations. With over 200,000 conservatories due to be installed this year, all of which would benefit from regular cleaning, the market continues to grow. With 23.5 million households having some form of double glazing the PVC cleaning market is even larger. Over the last six years, we have consistently proven that the market for a professional and expert cleaning service exists. Our customers enjoy the confidence that dealing with a professional company brings, safe in the knowledge that their conservatory is in our expert hands. That is why we are asked to return year after year and are always highly recommended Our goal has always been to provide the complete business package all in the back of a van. We think we have achieved that. At the end of your comprehensive training package you will drive off with everything you need to establish and run your PVC Wizard specialist cleaning company.

Advertising and Promotional Support

Our marketing support is provided by the acknowledged leaders within the conservatory and PVC industry and is the most advanced in the PVC cleaning sector. Access to the professional branding, marketing and advertising material is all included within your franchise package

Why Clean Conservatories & PVC?

John Feeney, who established the first specialist conservatory & PVC cleaning company in the UK, previously had extensive experience working for some of the biggest and best names in the Conservatory & PVC industry. After carrying out market research through the industry he realised that there were a large number of conservatories being installed with no thought to how they may be cleaned in the future. This represented a huge opportunity to earn a great living by providing a valuable service to homeowners while enjoying a good quality of life.

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ZARD FRANCHISEE

The Package
A high-quality package of specialist equipment to get you started - tools, applications and ladders Start-up stock of our unique Magiclean branded products Branded workwear and all-weather kit from Berghaus Marketing material & leaflets

Perhaps more importantly, you will receive our PVC Wizard guidance, training and support including access to our unique M.A.G.I.C. standards of operation detailing how to consistently perform to the highest standards.

Why Franchise?
Research by the British Franchise Association has shown that a new franchise has a 90% chance of success after 5 years, whereas a stand-alone start-up business has an 80% failure rate after 5 years. Advice from the HSBC website states: Franchising is a well established and successful method of doing business. It is a way of setting up in business for yourself, but not on your own.

Proven Format
We know conservatories and PVC in detail, inside and out - and were experts at cleaning both. Of course, as the leading brand in this industry you would expect that. However, we are also experienced at establishing franchise businesses and have proven that we can train people who have no previous experience to run their successful specialist cleaning business.

Training and Support

For the right person, running a conservatory and PVC cleaning company could be the key to realising their dream of running their own business. However, it is a specialist area and there are some challenges to making that dream a reality. Climbing on a conservatory roof for the first time can be difficult and dangerous for those who dont know what they are doing. Setting the pricing structure too low will potentially cost a great deal of money. Marketing poorly will reduce your return on investment and is one of the key reasons why businesses fail. Doing a poor job will at best cost you repeat business, at worst could result in damaging the homeowners property. Our comprehensive training package and ongoing support cover all these issues and ensures you earn income from the first week.

Finance
Because you have the benefit of a proven business format behind you with financial projections based on reality and experience, were you to approach a bank for capital they are more likely to look favourably at your proposition. Lloyds TSB and HSBC have assessed our franchise proposition and consider financial assistance and banking services to PVC Wizard franchisees, subject to status. They are willing to lend up to 50% of the franchise fee. 41

Riverford franchising - call us on 01803 762015

Vegboxes are about sharing the very best from our fields with as many people as possible; keeping it seasonal and affordable, and the service local and personal. And thats where you might come in. We need franchisees (vegmen and ladies) to help bring our fields into our customers homes, connecting them to how their food was grown and helping them enjoy it around the kitchen table. We dont like to blow our own trumpet too much but we think that, whatever youre looking for, our franchise opportunities tick all the right boxes (vegboxes of course). After all youll be growing you own business, enjoying fresh challenges on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis and benefiting from all of the support that youll need to become the vital link between our farms and your customers. Sure, it can be tough, backbreaking work with long hours and early starts too. But add in the opportunity to become a valued and trusted member of your community, together with excellent earning potential, and joining us could be as good for you as it is for the people youll serve.

All businesses need to be profitable to survive, grow and keep relevant to the needs of their stakeholders. Sustained profits come from a commitment to Most customers order weekly or fortnightly, so theres repeat being genuinely useful, generating long business as long as you continue to provide a first class -term value for customers, staff, service. Its not just fruit and veg that we supply though. Our suppliers and the world at large. franchisees now sell an ever-expanding range of organic produce, Business should be fun, so we are from meat, milk and eggs to pasta, juice and wine. Its great for our looking for franchisees who we like, customers but just as beneficial for our franchisees too, giving them trust and who share our ambition for a even more opportunities to spread the word, serve and satisfy world where good food, good farming (growing their business and profits along the way). and good business are the norm. Most of your sales will come from regular satisfied customers wholl pay weekly or before their delivery, so your business will be cash rich from day one. Naturally, like us, youll want to build your business too. So well expect you to devote plenty of time to spreading the word about our fruit and vegetables, service and philosophy, securing a steady stream of new customers along the way whilst continuing to provide your regulars with an unbeatable experience. Your daily orders will be processed centrally at your regional farm then picked, packed and dispatched overnight in chilled vehicles to refrigerated collection hubs near you, keeping everything nice and fresh. Youll manage marketing activities, customers accounts and orders through an extranet database, linking our offices to yours at home. Its an easy system to learn and use and all youll need is a broadband connection at home and an up to date computer. 42 We need people who are hard working and well organised, with the confidence and willingness to sell and develop the business with us. An enthusiasm for food and interest in how it is produced will help to sustain you through the harder times. You should be independent and self motivated, but also able to appreciate the benefits and accept the compromises that come with being part of a larger organisation.

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Are you a Franchisor? tell us about what you offer. Are you a Franchisee? Tell us why you went into the business and how you have fared. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS?

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Welcome to Minter's Fine Foods

Minter's Fine Foods are a franchise operation in which each designated area is owned and run by a highly experienced and dedicated franchisee operator. The franchises were established by Sean Minter whose family has over 150 years combined experience in manufacturing and providing quality fine foods alongside unrivalled excellence in customer service. Whilst many businesses portray to offer quality foods with great service, very few in reality really do. Minter's Fine Foods has been established to address these values of quality produce and exceptional customer service.

Franchise Opportunities
Franchise opportunities available nationwide.

Telephone 01477 505867

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EDITORS CHOICE
Franchise Opportunities with Suit the City

At Suit the City we believe in entrepreneurs! There are 2 ways in which you can work with us. Firstly as a franchisee or secondly as an agent.
1. Franchisee

Have you always dreamed of running your own business? Do you love fashion and style? - but dont know how or where to start your business? We can help You can become a Suit the City franchisee for a minimal investment of 14,950 plus VAT for the regions, and 19,950 for London. You will be able to start earning after your initial training period with the potential to earn over 50,000 per annum. Suit the City will support you all the way with training, samples, marketing, inspiration and advice. Everything will be covered including
How to manage a business Client Management Book-keeping Event Management How to measure Marketing Growing your business

2. Agent

If you already run your own business, we would be interested to talk to you. You are probably already working as an image consultant, dress maker or alterations specialist and your clients are asking for tailored suits and separates and you would like to help them. Suit the City offer joint marketing programmes and support to grow your business. We are happy to come to your studio and hold client evenings so that your clients can view, be measured and choose their suits, separates or shirts so that you can start earning immediately. Contact - kcj4324@aol.com 47

Sure2Door leaflet distribution service

Proven business. Sure2Door has grown considerably over the last two years Consistently offering fantastic unbeatable service Support. Having successfully grown the business from scratch, we have learnt many lessons required to make the business run smoothly Exclusive Territory. We will provide you with a mapped-out territory, showing the numbers of houses within your area and broken down into delivery rounds Innovation. We never stand still! Sure2Door is constantly looking at ways to improve our business with respect to sales and marketing as well as the latest technology How Much Can I Earn? Running a Sure2Door business gives you the opportunity to generate a substantial income

Running a Sure2Door business gives you the opportunity to generate a substantial income. With our help, you will be able to easily create your ideal work / life balance. We have three franchise levels and each one is tailored to different requirements. You can also choose to work in the business or employ a manager to run the day-to-day logistics the decision is dependent on what you want to achieve from your business. Before youre accepted onto our franchise program we will sit down with you to help you create your business plan. This will enable you to understand if the business is the right fit for you and whether the territory you are considering can realistically achieve the income you require. 48

Comprehensive Franchise Support Program Including:

Exclusive, mapped-out territory Full training to get the business up and running, including business management, planning, Sales, HR and Administration Comprehensive Operational Manual, containing all of the information you need to run the business GPS loggers with software to track your deliveries and provide reports for your clients Sure2Door branded delivery bags, vests and heavy duty trolleys to build instant brand recognition in your area and make your employees look professional Branded local website, fully optimised to make the best of your local marketing

Providing on-site computer services to homes and small businesses.

Techs Direct is a mobile computer and laptop repair business that has been established to help satisfy demand from millions of active computer and internet users across the UK. Quite often people are left high and dry if they have problems with their computer with the only course of action available is to pack your computer or laptop into the car and take it to the high street. Techs Direct is a mobile network of IT professionals. If you need our help we come to you and resolve your IT problems at your convenience, in the comfort of your own home. At Techs Direct were happy to be different. We put customers first, problems are resolved and we communicate in easy to understand language theres no geek speak here! This is the ethos of our company and we strive to communicate these values to our customers, if this sounds like you then we would love to hear from you.

How Our Franchise Works

We offer a very unique franchise offering but with all the benefits you would expect from other franchises. We will initially be offering the first years franchise license to you free, we do however require that you undertake ourtraining to make sure you can make a success of your Techs Direct franchise. If your not an IT Professional thats not a problem we also offer full training to our franchisors. If you would like to speak to one of our Techs Direct team about our franchise offering call us free on 0800 024 1263 stating you saw the advert in Inventors Showcase Magazine.

What Does it Cost?

What does the franchise licence cost? Nothing its FREE! Yes youve read that right! Absolutely FREE

"Techs Direct just made my day! They set up my new PC, installed my old software and moved all the stuff across from my old PC. No hassle, in plain english. So Happy"

Ron Jones. Essex

Techs Direct is unique we are so confident about the merits of our franchise and of the future Techs Direct that were inviting you to join the Techs Direct franchise network for free!! We will gift you your initial 12-month franchise licence fee and, unlike many franchisors, we will not ask for a percentage or a cut of any work that you generate yourself! This way you can trial the franchise and limit any financial risk. Why is it FREE? We want to attract great people to our network and we do not want create any barriers to entry. We have that much confidence in our proven business and marketing systems that we know that people who stick to the plan will enjoy great success. Franchise licence fees will not be charged until after the first 12-months. If youve made a success of your business we believe that being a part of the Techs Direct network adds significant value to your business and youll be keen to renew your franchise licence. If you dont feel that your franchise adds value you can simply walk away and continue your business. Its as simple as that.

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I love the idea of your magazine, I can see this really taking off, both with potential investors, but also entrepreneurs looking for guidance. I can't wait to see your magazine in the shops its going to be brilliant. Hi Casey, How are things going, hope your ok. The magazine article is fantastic. What a brilliantly put together and fun mag for everybody to find something inspiring!! I will be looking forward to the next edition! The article is great thank you. I hope it goes well for you because the whole publication is a really good read. Please let me know if it goes into print so that I can buy one.

I'm gobsmacked. I knew it was going to be good but that has just bowled me over! Brilliant! Perfect!

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Why you should choose an ambitious start-up idea

By

Gabriel Weinberg

I believe that ambitious start-up ideas have similar success probabilities to their less ambitious counterparts, if not higher success rates. No, I don't have any real evidence. Call it a highly educated guess. Note I'm not talking about expected value -- they definitely have higher expected values. They also have a much greater chance of being an elusive $100M exit, which is why VCs are always looking for them. A higher probability of success is a completely different thing because if it were true then you should almost always choose an ambitious start-up idea. (There are still a few reasons why it still may not be the best choice in a particular situation.) Ambitious start-up ideas usually operate in large markets where there are often lots of customers and lots of money flowing. If you start out trying to create or disrupt such a market you often end up stumbling on an initial beachhead where you can attack the greater landmass. Contrast that outcome with a less ambitious start-up idea, which usually means picking a niche a priori. In that case you're limiting both market size and wiggle room, and so if your guess at the right niche is wrong you can be left almost dead on arrival. Another contributing factor is ambitious start-up ideas are attractive to the ecosystem of start-up land. If the idea is the brain, everything else you will eventually need is the body (employees, investors, press, etc.). An ambitious start-up idea with just a little bit of traction attracts all the right body parts. A non-ambitious startup idea with just a little bit of traction languishes on Angel List. My project ideas have certainly gotten more ambitious over time. In other words, it has taken me a long time to learn this lesson. One non-intuitive corollary is you don't have to start out like a big company (raising tons of money, etc.) to attack a big vision. This is essentially the primary tactic Paul Graham lays out in his latest essay on frighteningly ambitious start-up ideas, which pushed me over the edge this morning to finally pen this letter.

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Young Entrepreneurs to watch in 2012

Lucian Tarnowski (Brave New Talent) Lucian Tarnowski is the founder and CEO of Brave New Talent, a social recruitment network. The passionate young entrepreneur loves social media and leverages the sharing and engagement inherent in social networks and applies it to job recruitment. Lucian has also been honored as Europes youngest Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum. He is also the youngest entrepreneur to join UKTI (United Kingdom Trade and Investment) so age isnt a factor as he goes about his mission to change the face of job recruitment and skills building.

Rashid Kasirye (Link Up TV)

Rashid Kasirye started Link Up TV, an online music and talent platform, straight out of college and has seen it grow from humble beginnings to a strong online community, which sees their YouTube page hitting over a million monthly views and thousands of fans on Facebook and Twitter. Rashid has already seen the company make music videos for artists on some of the top UK music channels and his popularity is sure to keep growing in the industry. As we journey through 2012 and Link Up TV step up their video production capacity Im sure you will see even more music videos in the charts made by Rashid and his team Josh Buckley (MinoMonsters) Josh Buckley is the CEO and founder of MinoMonsters, a Pokemon type game where you can battle and trade pet monsters. Josh is the youngest CEO to have raised funding from investment giant Andreessen Horowitz at 19 years of age. The Kent born youngster sold his first company at the age of 15. He created Menewsha a community where users create whimsical avatars and interact online for fun. He sold this for a six figures sum while still in school. Emma Sinclair (Target Parking) Emma Sinclair is a passionate young entrepreneur. She had the high powered, high paid city job but she left it to start Target Parking. After investing in a small car parking firm she set up Target parking which offers services for car parks across Britain. Including cash handling, security & facilities management. The 29 year old is the youngest person to float a company on the Alternative Investment Market and her business acumen has seen her tie up some big deals which helped the company see revenues of just over 1million and she fully expects that to grow further in 2012. Nick DAloisio (Summly) Nick DAloisio is only 16 years old but he has already managed to raise $250,00 in funding for his start-up, Summly. He created an app that offers a simpler way to browse and search the web by automatically summarising search results, web pages and articles to make content easier to sift to and find what is most relevant to you. In its first 4 days after it reached 17k downloads and is now well over 100,000. Still studying for his GCSEs he had to get special dispensation to delay his mocks while he travelled to San Francisco. 52

To keep a finger on the pulse we felt it necessary to find a Young Entrepreneur to write about young entrepreneurs. Whilst browsing on twitter one day I came across 17 yr old Jacob, talking about how he was determined to be successful, to be a millionaire and to own a Ferrari, by the time he was 30. I am convinced that he has all the necessary drive and determination and I for one would like to witness his rise up the ladder of success. He has agreed to write this column to chart his progress up the rungs of JACOBS LADDER.

Jacobs Ladder (rung 1Introduction)

Aged 17, most young people in Britain are typically either on the streets with little or no qualifications or studying hard in an attempt to get to University. Well, I fall into the latter except there's one significant exception, I own a business which I started myself, just under a year ago. Shortly after starting my A-Level courses, I was inspired to give setting up my business a go. I utilised my skills, previous work experience and basic business acumen at the time to establish Kent Ledger Media, a now thriving and nationally successful company operating in the UK. It feels weird to think that just under 12 months ago, I was stuck with my Saturday job and being bored easily in the evenings. Now, I spend most nights working hard and growing my business, with the support of everyone around me. At first, it seemed a brilliant decision to start a business and within weeks, I was working with TV celebrities and personalities from several BBC hit shows, including The Apprentice. The usage of names I'd worked with then enabled me to impress future clients and grow even further, leading up to the creation of a successful company with connections and clients worldwide. I quickly found that building client relationships was a brilliant way to maximise customer satisfaction, cost effectiveness as well as propelling the company into success. I'm proud to have worked with many large companies as well as reaching a partnership with several others. I'm not implying in this column that business is in any way easy, it's just what you make it. I decided to follow the route of simple yet effective as my business ethos and still follow it to this date. My main advice to anyone wanting to start their own business is to have drive and passion throughout. Inspiration is only ever round the corner, no matter what business you're in and it'll always inspire you to make a change, a new product or to advertise differently, always for the better. There are plenty of success stories out there about entrepreneurs, young millionaires as well as successful start-ups, all of which discredit the bad hoody culture image that Britain has. Just because someone wears a hoody and jeans, doesn't mean they can't be an entrepreneur and run their own successful business. Not all entrepreneurs are the shirt and tie type. I believe strongly in dressing appropriately to formal meetings, boardrooms or high brow business events but around the office, it's what you're comfortable in. After all, you're the boss so you set the rules. That's one of the best things about having your own business, being your own boss and taking absolute authority and not having your manager boss you around to make coffee half way through your work. No matter what business you go into, previous experience can always be useful, whether it be a school or government organised work experience scheme, apprenticeship or part-time job, as these employ the necessary basic characteristics of a successful business man or woman, such as maturity, responsibility and engagement with others similar to you in different industries.

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