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the big idea 2009
CHRISTOPHER PHOTI JANE DYSON OLIVER BRENDON
White Hart Associates The Network Attraction Tickets
Chris Photi is senior partner Dyson started her career on Direct
at accountants and auditors the shop floor at Intasun. After In 2002, aged 27, Oliver
White Hart Associates LLP, specialists to the several years in the industry her big idea came Brendon borrowed £10,000 and set up
travel industry. to her in 1990 when she started The Network Attraction Tickets Direct.
During a 30-year career, Photi has advised with £1,000 and a dining room table. It quickly became the UK’s largest US
companies of all sizes, from Ftse 100 companies The Network is now the UK’s largest travel ticket broker, by growing organically,
to small entrepreneurs and acted as corporate specialist field marketing company, and in profitably and sustainably and has always
finance adviser in a number of high-profile 2006 Dyson won the Shine business expert of funded growth from retained profits.
travel mergers and acquisitions. the year award. In 2007 she won an award from Last year, ATD generated a turnover of
“My passion has always been for the small Real Business Magazine and this year the same £40 million.
business entrepreneur, having been one myself magazine named her one of Britain’s 100 most In 2005, Brendon won the Omega prize
many years ago. Regrettably, due to the credit entrepreneurial women. for young entrepreneur of the year at the
crunch, regulatory pressures and unfair “This will be a life-changing opportunity for British Travel Industry Hall of Fame Awards.
competition, it is no longer an easy path to a budding entrepreneur to leap up a few rungs “I understand the pressures of starting a
start up your own business, even with a winning of the ladder. Cash is king in any business and business but I also appreciate how exciting it
idea. Even if the ‘big boys’ and regulators don’t initial growth can quite easily be stifled by is when a business works and makes a
care, I do care about where this industry’s cashflow problems. The winner of The Big Idea profit,” says Brendon.
Bransons of tomorrow are going to come from. will have no such problem and in addition will “I’m really pleased to be an investor in
This initiative gives a deserving individual an have the support of four experienced share- TTG’s The Big Idea this year and working
opportunity to be financed and guided.” holders. I would have loved that opportunity.” with the industry’s rising stars.”
Last year’s winners: How did they do? Now, nearly 10 months later, Waine is more
Helen Doyle and Danny Waine said winning last convinced than ever of the value of the
year’s £100,000 investment was competition.
a life-changing opportunity and He added: “It has been
advised anyone with faith in madness since we won and have
their idea to enter this year’s learned so much. Having access
competition. to four such successful people
The duo had been about to has been incredibly useful.”
apply for the BBC’s Dragons’ Den Their tip for this year’s
competition when The Big Idea entrants is “prepare like mad”.
launched. Their ideas for their Waine and Doyle spent an entire
to be, welcoming over 900,000 British and Irish weddings and honeymoon weekend practising their pitch
guests into its hotels in 2008, and still experi- operator impressed our own for Perfect Weddings Abroad
encing double-digit growth even in the current ‘dragons’ so much they invested to ensure it was perfect by the
economic context. I am therefore personally £100,000 of their own money. time they entered the den.
thrilled to be involved again in 2009.”
19.06.2009 29
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