Wyre Forest Business Idol
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Shoe repairers take up challenge
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| Soonest mended: Paul Gilman, left and Russell Dew, of Kidderminster Shoe Repairs. |
A KIDDERMINSTER man who, after 23 years in the shoe repair business decided to go it alone, is one of the first entrants in the bid to win the title, Wyre Forest Business Idol of 2008.
A £1,000 cash prize will go to the winner of the competition being held by the Kidderminster Big Breakfast Club in association with the Shuttle/Times & News.
He or she will also win more than £2,500 worth of free business advice from members of the club.
This week, we feature Paul Gilman who decided, two years ago that, with all the knowledge he had gained during nearly a quarter of a century mending shoes, he was well equipped to run his own business.
What he needed was more capital and that is where his brother-in-law, Russell Dew, came in.
With his financial backing, the two men rented an empty shop in Bridge Street and set up Kidderminster Shoe Repairs.
"The shop was absolutely bare and we started completely from scratch," said Russell. "I had a small amount of money saved up so we were able to buy some second-hand machinery and so on.
"It has gone pretty well so far and recently we have been looking at different ways to bring the business forward. We have started to incorporate some personalised printing, such as mugs, T-shirts and mouse mats.
"The demand seems to be growing. Recently, for instance, we had an order for 30 promotional mugs from the Rose Theatre when they put on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
"We now have the potential to expand the business but we're stuck on how to make it work properly.
"We feel that with the right advice from the Breakfast Club we could grow the business and see it really take off."
Robert Forsyth, chairman of the club, said: "This is just the sort of situation where we could offer valuable advice. Many of our members have built up successful businesses from scratch and learned the ropes along the way.
"We have also all benefited from membership of the club. We meet in a very informal way and have fun but, over breakfast, a huge amount of networking takes place and we feed off each others' ideas.
"I urge all local business folk, whether they are well established or just starting, to come and join us at La Brasserie in Lower Mill Street any Tuesday morning at 7am. There is no joining fee. All it costs you is your breakfast!"
For details how to enter go to Wyre Forest Business Idol section at www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/ks_news_idol/
11:05am Tuesday 1st April 2008
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