Secret Millionaire claims top prize at Young Guns Awards

Oct. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Pearson, 31, received the haysmacintyre Top Gun title at the awards, which are co-sponsored by law firm Farrer & Co and accountancy group haysmacintyre. Held at London’s Kensington Roof Gardens, the event drew more than 50 of Britain’s top young business owners, including those that have been named Young Guns in the past eight years since the awards launched.

The award was conferred in recognition of the continued success of Pearson’s discount voucher sites business Markco Media, of which MyVoucherCodes.co.uk is the leading brand. The company recorded profits of £9.3m in the last financial year, at an astonishing margin of more than 90%, and is expanding rapidly overseas.

Less than five years after its inception, the company is now operational in 12 countries, and planning to increase its current turnover of £10m by more 50% for the next year-end. On receiving his award, Pearson said: “Being named as one of Growing Business’ Young Guns is a great honour. Some fantastic entrepreneurs and companies have come before me and my hope is to continue growing and building on the success of the company – success which would not have been possible without the help, support and enthusiasm of my gifted team members.

“My ethos has always been work hard first, celebrate later and to be named amongst this year’s best young talent is definitely cause for celebration in my book!”

Managing Partner at haysmacintyre, Simon Wilks, said of Markco Media’s Mark Pearson:
“As supporters of the Young Guns awards for the last five years we have seen the calibre of entrant improve each year and 2011 was no exception. This year the haysmacintyre Top Gun Award went to Mark Pearson of Markco Media who stood out due to the hugely successful business model he has implemented which has resulted in rapid growth and a highly profitable company.”

Pearson beat off stiff competition from a host of top young entrepreneurs, including Ross Williams, whose online dating business Global Personals is approaching £20m turnover, and David Excell, whose ground-breaking behavioural modelling company, Featurespace, is on course to achieve 300% growth this financial year.

Other notable entrants included Charlie Walker, founder of Vivid Resourcing, the UK’s third-fastest growing recruitment company; Simon Best, creator of international DIY web building company BaseKit; and Emma Sinclair, who has revolutionised the car parking sector with her holistic management company, Target Parking.

The event also attracted a number of distinguished former winners, including Barry Houlihan, of Mobile Interactive Group, who secured this year’s ‘Golden Gun’ award, sponsored by Farrer & Co. – which recognises the outstanding achievements of Young Guns’ alumni.

Richard Lane, a partner at Farrer & Co. said: “Since being named a Young Gun in 2006, Houlihan’s Mobile Interactive Group has ranked top of the TechTrack 100 list in 2008 and the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 in 2010, which ranks the fastest growing technology companies across 24 European countries. The company has grown to employ more than 160 and next year will top £100m in revenues with a very impressive gross profit margin. It’s a truly excellent business and he is well-deserving of our inaugural Golden Gun award.”

Distinguished history

Now in its 9th year, Young Guns has previously identified the founders of high potential companies on the path to becoming household names, including Innocent Drinks, Firebox.com, Moo, Extreme Group, and more than 200 others.

Editorial Director at Growing Business, Ian Wallis said: “While our first Young Guns list and event was a more modest affair eight years ago, the quality, diversity and uniqueness of entrepreneurial companies bursting through in the UK never ceases to astound. Starting and growing a fast-growth company is highly risky, exciting and most of all, damn hard work.

“Despite that and the backdrop of a tough economic climate, there’s no shortage of good entrepreneurs finding gaps in sizeable markets. Some will achieve incredible success as so many of our Young Guns alumni have already. They will employ copiously and help drive the economy, and some will sadly fall by the wayside. It’s very real and there’s much to be admired. This list celebrates entrepreneurial endeavour in glorious Technicolor.”

The final 30, which feature on GrowingBusiness at www.growingbusiness.co.uk/youngguns, are as follows:

Sectors and regions:
*Based in London, unless otherwise stated
**Age, as of final entry date of June 30 2011

Business services

1)   Emma Sinclair, 34 (now 35), Target Parking – www.targetparking.com

2)   Heather Wilkinson, 32, Striding Out – www.stridingout.co.uk

Energy

3)   Christopher Baker-Brian, 24 / Laurent Van Houke, 22 (now 23) / Mansoor Mohammad Hamayun, 22, Bboxx (Macclesfield, Cheshire) – www.bboxx.co.uk

Leisure

4)   Steve Lowy, 30, Umi Hotels – www.umihotels.com

Media and marketing

5)   Emi Gal, 25, Brainient – www.brainient.com

6)   James Connelly, 25, Fetch Media– www.fetchmedia.co.uk

7)   James Robinson, 30, Zeffa (Cardiff, Wales) – www.zeffa.co.uk

8)   Jonathan Bramley, 35, In Your Space – www.inyourspace.co.uk

9)   Paul Thomas, 29 / Henry Braithwaite, 29, MarketMakers (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – www.marketmakers.com

10)   Tom Morgan, 34, Marketing VF – www.mvfglobal.com

11)   Warren Cowan, 34, Greenlight Marketing – www.greenlightsearch.com

Online business services

12)   Damian Kimmellman, 28 (now 29), Duedil – www.duedil.com

13)   David Excell, 30, Featurespace Ltd (Cambridge, East Anglia) – www.featurespace.co.uk

14)   David Langer, 25 (now 26) / Andy Young, 26, Groupspaces.com – www.groupspaces.com

15)   Duane Jackson, 32 (now 33), Kashflow – www.kashflow.com

16)   Josh March, 25 / Dan Lester, 32, Conversocial – www.conversocial.com

17)   Rob Durkin, 25, Fusepump – www.fusepump.com

18)   Simon Best, 32 / Richard Healy, 30 / Richard Best, 35, Basekit – www.basekit.com

Online consumer services

19)   Anthony Eskinazi, 28, Parkatmyhouse.com – www.parkatmyhouse.com

20)   David Grimes, 28 (now 29) / Paul Haydock, 27, MyParcelDelivery.com (Manchester, Lancashire) – www.myparceldelivery.com

21)   Henry Erskine Crum, 27 (now 28) / Alexander Will, 27, Spoonfed – www.spoonfed.co.uk

22)   Ian Hogarth, 29 / Pete Smith, 29 / Michelle You, 29, Songkick – www.songkick.com

23)   Ross Williams, 33, Global Personals Ltd (Windsor, Berkshire) – www.globalpersonals.co.uk

Recruitment

24)   Charlie Walker, 27 (now 28), Vivid Resourcing – www.vividresourcing.com

25)   Jamie Woods, 28, JCW Search – www.jcwresourcing.com

26)   Lucian Tarnowski, 27, Brave New Talent – www.bravenewtalent.com

Retail

27)   Emily Bendell, 30, BlueBella (Camberley, Surrey) – www.bluebella.com

28)   Kevin Flood, 22 (now 23) / Mike Harty, 23, Shopow (Manchester, Lancashire) – www.shopow.com

29)   Mark Pearson, 31, Markco Media – www.markcomedia.com

Telecommunications

30)   Rob Booth, 35 (now 36), In Call Solutions (Manchester, Lancashire) – www.incallsolutions.com


And one to watch for 2012:

Dan Shrimpton, 33, Peppersmith – www.peppersmith.co.uk


Young Gun Statistics:

•   Average age: 28

•   Youngest gun: 22 – Laurent Van Houke, 22 (now 23)

•   On average the companies turn over: £3.5m (five companies did not disclose financials).

•   Between them they employ more than 900 people.

•   78% of those that responded said the recession has had a neutral or positive effect on their business.

•   The average company is four years old.

•   16 of the companies have raised angel or VC funding.


--- ENDS ---

Photographs available. Please contact Man Bites Dog.

E xenia.kingsley@manbitesdog.com
T 08445611416