Winning the People's Prize at Connect Yorkshire's Business Plan Competition at this year's Venturefest has given Leeds based Luminary Solutions opportunities to both raise its profile and make inroads into new channels to market.

The company was started in 2003, by four ex-colleagues who felt they could offer a specialist computer systems integration service to blue-chip and government organisations. Luminary is not without competition in this area, but with a company culture based on setting realistic expectations and working in close partnership with its clients to ensure those expectation are met, if not surpassed, it's hardly surprising that demand for Luminary's expertise is outstripping supply.

Currently, 70 per cent of the company's business is repeat business and at the end of its first year it is in the black with a turnover of £1.2 million. The company has expanded from the initial four that set up the business, and now employs 24 people. One of its newest recruits is an experienced IT services sales manager, John Semple.

Technical director Neil Warnock says that the business is scaling organically, and that the company is ensuring that its growth is sustainable. "The culture is evolving fast," he says. "And we're developing a sustainable modular training framework with the help of the New Technology Institute and Leeds Metropolitan University to ensure all our new starters have the same high quality foundation training before they go anywhere near a project."

Warnock's relationship with Leeds Metropolitan University is long-lived. A former graduate of the University, Luminary Solutions started its life at a business incubator at the University, something which Warnock says "definitely took the sting out of setting up." However, within three months, Luminary had outgrown its space at the incubator and moved to the New Technology Institute where it remained for a year, moving to its current premises in Central Leeds in early 2005.

The company's USP - that it delivers what its competitors say they will deliver --- has been the cornerstone of the company's culture. "We offer no-nonsense professionalism," says Warnock. "There are several big players in our area of the market offering what we're offering, but they often set expectations high and then fail to meet those expectations. Luminary works differently to those organisations in that we're fostering a culture of partnership and it's working. I think the figures that show how much of our business is repeat business speak for themselves."

It's this service ethos that seems to have grabbed the attention of the audience at this year's Venturefest Yorkshire, who voted for the winner of the People's Choice prize. The Business Plan Competition, which is run by Connect Yorkshire, was attended by entrepreneurs, finance providers and individuals from the professional services community. Having applied to Connect Yorkshire to present at the competition, Warnock says he was sceptical when he received the programme of events leading up to the competition. "I have admit there was a lot more involved than I had initially thought, and I wasn't sure it was all necessary," he says. "However, having said that, we got tremendous value from the programme and it's really helped us focus as a business."

The programme he refers to is a mini "investment ready" programme that Connect Yorkshire puts together for the companies presenting at the Business Plan Competition. After submitting a full and detailed business plan, the companies selected are visited by advisors drawn from Connect Yorkshire's sponsors. "Lucas Bateman from Cobbetts and Paul Roberts from Deloitte visited us and spent a long time going through our business plan with us, which was an extremely useful process. They were very incisive and looked at the business plan in depth," says Warnock. "There were a few rehearsals before our presentation on the day and these were also followed by professional services feedback. While it's an investment in time and money it was absolutely worthwhile, irrespective of our winning a prize."

The day itself went well. Warnock feels he gave his presentation his best shot, and the company were immediately rewarded by approaches from venture capitalists and professional service advisors, and also came away with some very warm sales leads. Additionally Warnock says the event helped the company get closer to the professional services community, which is one of its channels to market. "We made some very useful contacts at Venturefest," he says.

And what of the £2000 prize money? "It's been a team effort. We're thinking of ways we can use the money to benefit everyone in the business," says Warnock. "Since the move to our new premises we're in 'beige hell', so it will probably be spent on redecorating the offices."

Reference: http://www.luminary.co.uk

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Article Id: 132996
Release date: 1 March 2005
Company: Luminary Solutions

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