Dolphin Music

School friends Rob Williams, 28 and Jason Tavaria, 27, always knew they wanted to work for themselves, and in September 1999, whilst at university, the pair dreamed up Dolphin Music, using their student loans as start-up funding.

Initially Dolphin Music sold electrical musical equipment online. After the first year, running the business from home, they moved to premises at an industrial estate in Liverpool and began recruiting staff. Having grown the company at a steady rate, learning from their mistakes and gaining invaluable business experience along the way, they now employ 54 staff and have achieved sales in excess of £9 million in 2007.

They have now opened retail stores in Liverpool, Gateshead and Huddersfield and the pair has plans to expand into Europe and the Far East.

You can fins out more about Dolphin Music at: www.dolphinmusic.co.uk