Shoe mender: After 23 years in the shoe repair business, Paul Gilman decided to go it alone and, with help from brother-in-law Russell Dew, set up his own shop in Bridge Street, Kidderminster. Now he wants to expand the business and says: "We feel that with the right advice from the Kidderminster Big Breakfast Club we could see it really take off."
Laundry lady: Gail Sharpe gained her laundry business skills running a team of cleaners for Birmingham City Council before she opened up her dry cleaning shop in York Street, Stourport. Now she plans to open up a second shop. She has been helped with the finances by her son, former England and Manchester United soccer star, Lee Sharpe.
The HIPS expert: John Reed is the right man in the right place at the right time. He is setting up a business based in Kidderminster to provide the new Housing Information Packs demanded by the Government when you are selling your house. Part of the service is to check up on a house's energy efficiency and to prepare a certificate to prove it.
Healthy eating: Syed Ahmed opened his family-run Indian takeaway in Comberton Place, Kidderminster, four years ago. Then customers started to ask for "health"meals and now he prides himself on his range of meals without the use of any artificial colouring and minimal use of ghee. He also has an open kitchen plan so customers can watch their meals being cooked.
Sash windows forever: For eight years, Emma Garfield worked for a company specialising in the repair and refurbishment of sash windows. Now she is setting up her own company in Kidderminster to provide materials to keep the lovely old window frames in tip-top condition. She says there are upwards of 40 million of them in Britain, most in poor shape, so she could be busy.
Fancy a tattoo?: Gareth Pegler says he knows there is a demand in Wyre Forest for tattoos because he has a waiting list of people wanting them and he has an ambition to set up a parlour to fulfil the demand. He can provide ultra-violet tattoos which are visible only under black light - "very popular with clubbers".
Songs, sax and showbiz: Sam Pagett, of Stourport, is only 15 but it is already clear he is going places as an entertainer. For two years he has been part of a highly successful duo, The Lady and the Sax. He is the saxophone half but also sings, dances and plays piano and blues harmonica.
Luxury auto valeting: Jamie Jenkins's dream is to run "the number one mobile valeting service in the country." He is based in Kidderminster but takes his fully equipped vehicle - it has power and water - around the Midlands, giving what he says is luxury treatment to cars, vans, mobile homes and caravans. "I am willing to graft and network to make my ideas work," he says.
Blocking porn: Nine out of 10 children between 8 and 16 view pornography on their computers while doing their homework, says Anne Sillars, and she is doing something about it. She has set up a Kidderminster-based company offering family-safe broadband that automatically blocks out harmful websites. "We are passionate about keeping the internet safe for our children," she says.
Pub with a difference: Ye Olde Seven Stars, in Coventry Street, Kidderminster, has reinvented itself as a "bring-your-own-grub pub." Mine host, Matthew Copeman, explains that you can take in your own food or he has arrangements with local takeaways to bring meals to customers' tables at the price of a phone call. The pub has also won good beer awards.
Call Miss Smith: That's the name of Bridget Smith's new business. Her idea is to provide top notch personal assistants to busy businesses who don't want to, or can't afford, permanent PAs. The business, based in Hartlebury, is new and Bridget is working on her own for the present. But she is lining up other highly skilled and experienced "Miss Smiths" to come in as the demand grows.
Let's party: Sue Wills and her sister-in-law, Kerry Hawkins, are in party mood every day after starting their business to bring fun, colour and spectacle to celebrations like kids' birthday get-togethers and weddings. They promise "elegant and enchanting settings for any occasion", along with a personal service that comes from a family-run company based at Dunnington Avenue, Kidderminster. Balloons, beautiful table centrepieces and face painting are among their specialities.
The personal touch: Or should it be "personnel" touch? Tracey Sherwood, of Bewdley, sees many businesses that are too busy to get round to proper staff training programmes, career paths, or generally looking after the welfare of their workers. So she provides her proven HR expertise on a "temp" basis. So confident is she that she offers firms a free one-day consultation to talk about their needs and to suggest solutions.
Seeking out talent: Richard Lyn-Kew, based in Kidderminster, has set up a far-ranging business to strengthen communities by seeking out showbiz talent and generally encouraging cultural awareness through his own magazines.
Props and things: Craig Leonard has been running his shop in Kidderminster's Horsefair for a year now. He supplies props for stage and film and provides a service to people seeking showbiz opportunities. His dream is to set up a one-stop shop for the film industry. His shop also supplies memorabilia and a wide selection of collectors' items.