Market Makers Reach for the Stars

Award winning firm Market Makers has outperformed hundreds of hopeful new businesses to become a regional winner in the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

The company, which is the holder of the business of the year title in The News Business Excellence Awards, is now hoping to go one better and clinch one of the top titles and take a share of the Stars Awards’ prizes, worth a total of £85,000.

The national contest seeks out the most promising new businesses in the UK.  Portsmouth-base Market Makers is the brainchild of Paul Thomas and Henry Braithwaite, now 25, and it specialises in supporting other companies in their growth strategies through marketing and telemarketing.

The school friends invested their life savings to set up the business, which is now four years old.  The firm has grown impressively, from a staff of 10 and a £125,000 turnover in year one to last years performance of £3.5m and a staff of 85.

In January Market Makers moved into its own high tech offices in Quartremaine Road, amid plans to become a full services marketing agency.

Mr Thomas said: ‘We were delighted with the business of the year award from The News, and off the back of that our bank manager thought it would be good if we went in for the HSBC awards.  It means a lot to have come this far.  As a young business we’ve done very well.  We’ve got a large number of blue-chip clients and also small-to-medium-sized clients - very few agencies can handle both equally as well.’

Simon Wainwright, chief operating officer for HSBC Commercial banking, said ‘Market Makers can be very proud of their success in such a keenly contested fight, and we wish them luck.'

More Glory Beckons

Market Makers is one of 10 companies to win a place in the finals of the Start-Up Stars.

Now it will compete for a place in the finals, along with the chance to scoop the top prize of £25,000 and the sought-after title of HSBC Start-Up Star.

These top-10 businesses will attend a final national judging session in London where each one will get the chance to explain why their business deserves the £25,000 and the coveted title.

The winning business and the runner-up will be revealed at the gala dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel on October 24th attended by more than 300 guess representing business, politics and the media.

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