Shrewsbury entrepreneur enjoys success in first year
Jun 1 2009 by Alun Thorne, Birmingham Post
A Shrewsbury entrepreneur who gave up a full-time job to go it alone in business has seen the gamble pay off in style.
Rob Young made the switch 12 months ago when he left full-time employment at Baker Bellfield in Telford, to follow his dream of setting up Mirrorworks, manufacturing and selling antique mirrored glass.
After just one year of trading, the business has turned over more than £100,000 and Mr Young is predicting that annual sales will more than double in his second year.
High-profile clients include the co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Java) while he could be on the brink of netting a project on a super-yacht.
Working from a converted workshop on a small industrial estate in Mountfields, Mr Young made the leap after consulting with Business Link West Midlands.
The 35-year-old said: “Working as a manager of a furniture manufacturing company, it was a really hard decision to quit my job and to set up a business working for myself.
“I saw a gap in the marketplace, worked on a method of how to ‘antique’ glass and decided to really go for it. The help and advice that I received from BLWM was really the deciding point for me to go it alone.
“I attended a free course and they put everything into black-and-white and helped me put together a business plan which was invaluable to me moving forwards.
“Having the freedom to be able to work for myself has made a real difference to our quality of life.
“It has meant that my wife, Jo, is able to help more with the business and has enabled us to have an easier existence, which is what we were after,” Mr Young added.
“Although this is a luxury item and can be an expensive product, there is a real market for it out there and with the help of some top interior designers in London, it’s really helping to get me on the map.
“It has been a huge learning curve but we wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“I can’t say too much at the moment in case I jinx it but I could be working on a super-yacht, if everything goes according to plan.”
Mr Young buys glass that is ‘silvered’, the means by which mirrors were traditionally made, then adds the finishing touches by making the glass ‘antique’, applying a finish and painting the back to ensure that this seals the process.
Mirrorworks also offers a repair service which aims to enable customers with period furniture to keep it in mint condition.
He is now looking forward to expanding the company’s client base over the next few years, hoping to ultimately process his own glass and be able to take on employees.
Adviser Jim Lindsay from Business Enterprise Support said: “Rob approached us prior to starting out on his own for some help and advice.
“He was guided with our business enterprise support including one-to-one discussions, face-to-face meetings to discuss any questions and problems he had and also help with completing his business plan.
“It was good to be able to give advice to someone in an industry of which I have first hand knowledge and the fact that Rob is now manufacturing a niche product in the United Kingdom is great”.
