Release the entrepreneur within

entrepreneur n. a person who undertakes a (financial) enterprise, esp. one with an element of risk. 19C French, from entreprendre to undertake

You might have daydreamed for years about being your own boss, running your own business, having visions of chucking in the nine-to-five routine and doing your own thing. Fanciful thoughts? Or are those daydreams the inspiration you need to really create something of your own? So why don't you just get on and do it? Perhaps the answer to that lies in the above definition of an entrepreneur - that most people's perception of entrepreneurial activity is that it requires an element of financial risk. Perhaps too much risk for most people. But have you ever thought what the risk involved in becoming self-employed might be? Risk to you might be quite unlike risk to someone else. For some, staying in a standard nine-to-five job for the rest of their lives and never giving themselves the chance to do what is in their hearts that would be the ultimate risk.

We are fascinated with the stories of successful people - those who have made it, or are making it. We went out into the East Lancashire business community to talk to people who've set up their own business. We wanted to know what type of person becomes an entrepreneur. What does it take? What has the journey been like for them? Here are their stories. Food for thought?

So, what characteristics do our local entrepreneurs have in common?

Most started with nothing, just themselves and a solid business idea

Determination to succeed and a 'belief' in themselves

Thinkers and visionaries, able to see the bigger picture with passion

Ability to identify opportunities and grab them with both hands

Creative and dynamic in their ability to see opportunities - not frightened to innovate

Like control and want to make their own decisions and their own mistakes

Willing to take risks, tempered by a reluctance to spend money

Skilled in pulling in other people to support with day to day detail

Find ways to get what they want

Like freedom - hate to be constrained by others

Dedicated and persistent with a resilience that enables them to bounce back after failures

Workaholic nature - willing to put in extraordinary effort to achieve their dreams

Love their work and work at it because they want to

All these characteristics seem to be accompanied by a basic underlying wish to put something back into the community at large. What starts off as something egocentric ends up being philanthropic.

If these stories of real people strike a chord with you, perhaps you are closer to setting up your own business than you thought. Leaving a restrictive nine-to-five job or combining a business with motherhood might be within reach. If you are contemplating taking that first step towards working for yourself and you think you have a combination of the above characteristics, why not talk to a Business Link Start Up Adviser? They are local, impartial professional people with personal experience of running their own businesses. They help people every day to nurture and develop their own businesses. The service is free of charge to anyone thinking of starting a business in East Lancashire, or who has started a business in East Lancashire within the last two years.

CASE STUDIES

TRACY STRUDWICK, managing director, Petra Hellas Marble, Stacksteads, Bacup

DYNAMIC and fiery, Tracy is an icon for her expanding business. She walks with the determined stride of a woman who leads from the front. Her marble fireplace business has grown from humble beginnings, when she hawked marble tiles round shops, to the ultimate in trendsetting home design. Located in an old mill in Stacksteads, stepping into Petra Hellas is like entering a fairy grotto of ideas and inspiration.

With a degree in classics, she shunned an academic career and turned to advertising sales. Finding she could sell easily, the challenge soon fizzled. She started to look for new opportunities. A visit to a friend's villa in Greece introduced her to marble floors. Convinced she could sell them in the UK, Tracy moved out to Greece visiting quarries and gradually built up her knowledge and contacts.

First off, orders were very small. People wanted credit. Tracy lost money. But she persisted, knowing she was selling materials never seen in this country. After talking to fireplace companies who loved the colours, she shipped in hearths. Much knocking on doors resulted in a gradually increasing volume of sales.

Relocating to Stacksteads was a big risk. Not wanting to overcommmit, she took the premises on a month on month agreement. From the initial single unit, she now takes up eight units of the mill. The turning point for the company came six years ago when they decided to go for design work. Now the company has a very good name, and gets PR consultancy from Charlie Dimmock's mum, Sue.

Says Tracy of herself: "I'm the driving force; I'm pushy. I can get people to do what I want because it's reasonable. I like to give people a pat on the back and appreciate what they do". They have 27 people in the company now, with virtually no absenteeism. "Everyone wants to be here. If we keep someone for three months, they stay for years. Everyone interacts; there's no empire building. That's why we get a decent product. We sort mistakes out with good grace".

Control is important. "We don't have to subcontract out, so we don't lose the essence of design."

A youthful and vibrant organisation, staff refer to her fondly as being 'zany'. Tracy clearly works hard. "Dogged determination is the key to my success. I was determined I wouldn't fail. It's easier to start off when you have no money - you have nothing to lose. I'm more cautious now. The risk factor is greater because there's more to lose". She talks easily, with fire and passion. "I like to have control of my own life. I like to make my own mistakes, I don't want others making them for me. When I first started out, working for myself didn't scare me. It thrilled me."

When her son was born eight years ago, she was back at work within five days.

She has a very good support team around her. "I'm good at getting the right people. Everyone has evolved. I like to help people realise their potential.

"You have to want people, for them to want to be with you. You reap what you sow. We are a successful team."

JOHN CALWAY, director, Kingfisher Partnership, Rawtenstall

JOHN had a varied career before a chance remark in a pub made him look hard at his future in the civil service. His wife had built up a part time VAT consultancy that was getting too big. It made sense to set up joint offices with his wife and provide services to growing businesses.

That was nearly 20 years ago. "People said I must be mad leaving the civil service, but I feel more secure now that I'm in control of my own destiny." He's now joint owner of a successful 'growth wish' consultancy firm with more than 40 salaried and associate consultants.

John is determined: "You've got to believe in yourself. Running your own business is a rite of passage. My understanding of risk is having your own house in hock to the bank, which gives a particular set of pressures. All businesses go through periods of stickiness; you need resilience to get through them. My stubbornness wouldn't give the Inland Revenue the satisfaction of winning - that was part of the challenge."

His personal philosophy is that we are here in this life to make the most of it. "Go for it, enjoy. If you don't try, you don't know. Have the wit to identify opportunities and the bottle to grab them. I've lost some money on ventures, made more; it's an expensive learning curve. I've never fallen out with anyone, always parted on good terms. Government is right to shift the stigma on bankruptcy. You need to take risks. But you shouldn't mix up the venture failing with the person failing. It's all about having a go." A sincere man, he says integrity makes sense from a business point of view. He wants lifetime clients and being honest clearly pays.

John's a frustrated farmer: he likes to build and grow things. The Kingfisher Centre is his baby. "I had a very clear view of what I wanted and sold the vision to our co-directors." He's known as Bob the Builder within the business. "I'm a thinker; I'm better at creating opportunities than doing the routine." By his own admission he has a low boredom threshold and isn't good on detail.

His family means a lot to him. He likes to make sure he has a decent work-life balance. Sometimes he works long hours but will take time off later. He always wanted to make enough money to retire at 50, though these days retirement doesn't seem that attractive. He chooses the work he wants to be involved in, and wants to take more time out, have more holidays. Last year he fulfilled a 30-year ambition to go trekking in Nepal with his wife, who retired out of the business in 2000. "I'm persistent," he says simply. Freedom is important to him in terms of making his own decisions about his work and his life.

John puts his success down to resilience: "Self-employment isn't that hard if you have a good business idea and you are persistent. The benefits are that you can get paid more and have more fun. I was able to spend more time with the kids as they were growing up. In terms of success, I'm most proud of my kids."

MURRAY DAWSON, managing director, Scott Dawson Advertising, Peter Scott Printers and Countrywide Couriers, Burnley

A QUALITY team of over 60 people and a turnover schedule of £5million serving a range of blue chip clients.

Slim and hurried, at 34 he still looks too young to own a successful advertising agency. Murray has a passion for business, efficiency and SUCCESS. Failure is not an option. Demanding of his staff, he sets high standards for workmanship, yet his primary concern for the future is providing enough business so his staff can pay their mortgages. His talk comes fast and hard, presumably like the way he drives his cars. "My one weakness." Murray is intensely focused. Keeping up with him, whether walking through his offices or taking down his words, leaves you breathless. Murray describes his childhood as 'normal'. "I played football. I don't think the world focused until I was 19; then I wanted to be in business."

A primary school teacher said he wouldn't amount to anything. The next term he was top of the class. At art college where he wanted to do graphics and commercial design, his teacher said he wouldn't amount to anything. A couple of years later he'd already set up his business. Even his parents were worried he would fail when he first started. "I always wanted to prove someone wrong."

He has a clear philosophy. He can't grasp the thought of losing money. He started with a loan of £5,000, bought a car for £4,995, then focused on making money. "Starting young is a benefit," he says. "You have no commitments; it's not a risk. You can be too paranoid about losing money when you have it." He always wanted an agency and in his first six months saved enough money to employ other people, then set them the target of pulling in their own salaries.

He's tough with his people. They know they are working for a company with standards; he doesn't tolerate people who don't perform well. He expects everyone to work as hard as he does. When he started he'd work two or three nights a week right through. Nothing much has changed.

Control is very important to him. He uses few suppliers, preferring to bring production in-house, keeping control of timescales, margins and quality, adding value whenever he can. "It makes us incredibly fast, which is what our clients demand from us. I involve myself at every stage of the process. I trust everyone, check up on everything. I'm heavy on detail - if it's got my name on things, then it's got to be right."

On Monday mornings, he has six meetings between 7.30 and 9.00am to keep on top of sales, production and financial controls. "It focuses everyone."

Murray takes a helicopter view. "I always think through what could go wrong. People will never be sacked for making a decision. You've got to make things happen. Most people don't have the energy or push to do that. Doors don't just open: they've got to be broken down. I'm creative in solving problems and overcoming production crises. I never let go of anything." Nor does he.

KAM KOTHIA, managing director, eBusiness UK Ltd, Blackburn

KAM has a gentle charm, warmth and openness. He talks determinedly about his desire to grow his business. He's always set challenges for himself. When he was 14 he dabbled in 'get rich quick' mail order businesses through Exchange and Mart! He went into electronics engineering at university, but lost interest quickly. Moving into a marketing environment, initially in technical support, he became product manager and had the opportunity of going to Singapore with a multi-national and travel Africa and Asia while selling. "I moved into sales, as my earnings were directly proportional to my own efforts and success. I could control my earning potential." He worked for Cable Northwest, and ended up with his own team and a lot of autonomy. When Telewest took over, Kam had his own division "but the centralised approach and tighter controls put me off. I hated being told what to do, and being driven into doing things that me and my team felt weren't right. We lost a lot of freedom and flexibility that we originally had."

From being an MD of a London-based innovative start-up organisation, Kam took a massive drop in salary to come back to Lancashire, where he set up an internet development consultancy with his brother, a systems developer.

He can see huge opportunities for internet-based business development. He wants to implement his own ideas, rather than being told what to do. "I have a vision, and I can come up with new ways to move forward. I'm passionate about innovation. I love developing ideas and seeing them come to fruition. I'm not so good on the detail, but I'm good at bringing in people who actually deliver the results."

He works with his brothers on the board. "We consult each other and make decisions. It's good not having to answer to a boss." Is it risky? Kam tackles business opportunities based on instinct - sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

Things didn't come on a plate for Kam. The only Asian in his class as a teenager, he worked hard to prove he was as good as anyone else. Kam was popular at university and made relationships with people outside his own group. Being a good networker now stands him in good stead.

In the local community, Kam is a director of Business Link, a director of the Asian Business Federation and is a member of the DTI's Ethnic Minority Business Forum. He also serves on the committee of the local mosque.

He says he's not in it for the fame and glory: "I want to do something to make people's lot better." Kam's wife and children are the most important aspects of his life, and provide the drive for his success.