When Lisa Hart launched Acritas in 2002 she was the first to the UK legal market-research sector. Now, five years on, she has offices in Newcastle, London and New York, employs 15 full-time staff, fishes from a pool of talented undergraduate temps and is heading for a 2007 turnover of £1million with a goal to have increased profits by 65%.

In addition, included in this episode is the Bridge Club March Member of the Month, Nicky Archibald of Archibald & Dutch.

For a man who, “didn’t actually know how to do anything”, Alan Timothy has come a long way. After twenty years’ experience in marketing and business, he spotted a gap in the market – a way for organisations to translate their customer data into meaningful information – and Rocket Science was born.
‘In Conversation With…Alan Timothy’ is a no holds-barred, open and sometimes controversial look at the way business is done in the North East: “I’m not shy and retiring and I’ve got some very forthright views”.

Ten years after Tom and Jocelyn Maxfield came up with the concept for the world famous Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall it’s being given new energy with Jocelyn acting as the creative mastermind behind the rollout of urban day-spas with three scheduled to open around the UK in 2007.

‘In Conversation with… Malcolm Wright’, turns the spotlight on a different sort of entrepreneurship! SignPost is an award-winning ITV business which has set a gold standard for innovation in on-screen sign language access and which also generates revenues for ITV Tyne Tees.

The biggest air-inclusive golf holidays company in the UK is tucked away in South Shields and beginning to capitalise on the growth that started three years ago. Managing Director Sandy Murray says that he and his other co-directors are now looking to take this hidden jewel in the North-East’s entrepreneurial crown onto the next level with the recent acquisition of tour-operator Ashfield and talks starting with Monarch, Fly Be, Thomas Cook and Easyjet.

Twenty-five year old Tarek Nseir has achieved quite a lot since graduating from University in 2003! He established Think as a limited company the following April and in three years the company has grown to become the largest design agency in the North East employing 36 people (with nine more on the way) and expanding into £1.2million premises at the Turnbull Building whilst enjoying healthy profits on a £2million turnover. How did he get here and where’s he going next?