Business takes off for teenager

A teenage Shropshire student has won a prestigious business award for launching a successful enterprise importing toy remote-controlled miniature helicopters.

Vernon Kerswell, from Picklescott, near Shrewsbury, has won the £1,000 first prize in the Venture Out competition, run by The University of Manchester's Science and Enterprise Centre.

The annual competition encourages people to put forward ideas with a potential commercial application with first prize given to the project that is judged to have the most chance of success.

The ambitious 19-year-old, who is studying at Manchester, took a course in Mandarin at The University's Confucius Institute before using his £1,500 overdraft to travel last summer to some of the most remote areas of industrial China in search of great gadgets.

Starting out from the capital Beijing, he came across a company that makes lightweight rechargeable remote-controlled miniature helicopters and UFOs.

After specifying a few design tweaks to the flying machines - which are made from a highly durable foam body, tough enough to survive multiple crash landings - Vernon took the plunge and placed an order for 2,000.

The shipment arrived in Britain just three weeks before Christmas and the business Extreme Fliers was ready for take off.

Vernon stashed hundreds of the toys in his student bedroom in Hulme Hall in Victoria Park, Manchester, to deal with the high volume of orders.

In just one month Vernon - who studies Information Systems Engineering at Manchester Business School - sold most of the 2,000 helicopters over the internet and through five shops including an outlet in Shrewsbury town centre.

Vernon said he used a lifetime's worth of friends and networks to pull together the necessary skills and knowledge.

"Effective management of knowledge was essential for the success of the business," he said.

With the pressure to get the gadgets into production in time for Christmas, Vernon needed to provide artwork for the packaging, and he found himself desperately seeking someone with the necessary design talent.

Scouring Facebook for inspiration, he came across a fellow Manchester student and the two joined forces.

"I hardly slept during December, I was so busy organising deliveries, promoting the products and dealing with orders and getting them into shops while doing essays and assignments," said Vernon.

"It was very hard work but the excellent sales and now this award has made it all very worthwhile".

"As soon as I saw the helicopters, I knew this was the product I was looking for. They are fantastic.

"They use infrared, which makes them very responsive to the controls, and they also have a highly refined battery that gives them extra power compared to cheaper products.

"They are easy to use but are also very high quality which means they can crash without breaking. Our machines are much more durable and reliable. I ensured they were manufactured ethically in the factory and had quality control people at the end of the production lines to test each one. I am truly grateful to everyone who has offered their skills and time to help make it a success."

The company currently sells three models of helicopter and one UFO, all of which retail for £19.99. They can be ordered through the company's website at www.extremefliers.co.uk.

Vernon is currently seeking new shop outlets for his product and hopes to enter the BBC's Dragons Den as a budding entrepreneur.

Lynn Shepherd, director of MSEC, said: "The success of Extreme Fliers shows that you don't have to be an inventor or a scientist to succeed in our Venture Out competition. Vernon spotted a novel product and had the determination and talent to establish a successful part-time business. We really hope the enterprise will continue to flourish."