Liz Jackson: Great Guns Marketing

Liz Jackson
Age: 31
Company: Great Guns Marketing

Headquartered in Basingstoke, but with seven branches nationwide, Great Guns Marketing offers business-to-business marketing services. And after a steady start – Jackson set up the business in 1997 with just £5,000 in loans and a grant -things appear to be taking off. Turnover for 2003 was £1.5m and is expected to hit £2m this year, with plans for 16 branches by 2005. Perhaps more remarkable is the fact that Jackson is totally blind, having lost her sight the year she started the business. Earlier this year the company won the regional Customer Focus category in the National Business Awards.

2012 update:

In 2005 Jackson published her book Start Up! How to Start a Successful Business from Absolutely Nothing, What to Do, How it Feels. Two years later she was awarded an MBE for services to business in the 2007 New Years Honours. As well as continuing to run her business, Jackson is now a successful public speaker.

2016 update:

In December 2015, Jackson joined mergers and acquisitions company BCMS as marketing director. The company specialises in advising shareholders of privately owned companies who want to sell their business, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises valued between £1m and £100m. BCMS claims to have completed 500 deals in the last decade alone.