Aqua Consultants, a Bradford Kickstart client that only started trading in February 2008, is already recruiting to keep pace with demand for its services.

Based at Bradford Chamber’s purpose-designed business park in Laisterdyke, the company provides specialist commercial consultancy services to the water supply industry, including Northumbrian Water and Essex and Suffolk Water.

Graduates Tel Sultan, of Bradford, Mike Wilson, of Huddersfield and Paul Massey, of Leeds, joined forces to create Aqua Consultants. With strong support from Bradford Kickstart, particularly from Patrick Coffey, a Kickstart Business Growth Adviser, the company has grown rapidly.

Its partners have already trebled their turnover forecast for the first year of trading and intend to employ at least nine more people during the next few months. Latest new recruit is Taheer Shah, a Bradford University graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

“The support we receive from Bradford Kickstart is of great value to us,” says Tel. “During our initial growth phase we were in almost daily contact with Pat Coffey who helped us to find excellent premises, put us in touch with great contacts and introduced us to specialist advisers in human resource management and quality standards measurement. Kickstart’s Skills Counsellor, Dave Leather, has also advised us on our recruitment strategy.

“Kickstart’s professional service suppliers helped us with the design and hosting of our website and with designing and printing our illustrated brochure; both are vital to us in marketing our services in a highly-professional manner.”

“Launching a new company is a bit like feeling your way in the dark but Kickstart has been great in showing us which way we should go.”

Although Kickstart has a strong focus on encouraging local people to set up new businesses in the District, its experienced team also work closely with other existing businesses with one objective: helping them to grow.

Why? Because growing companies and social enterprises create job opportunities - and helping generate local jobs for local people is what Kickstart is all about.

Specialist Business Growth Advisers help these companies to develop their management skills, improve their sales and boost their profits.

For sound advice on any aspect of Kickstart services call the programme’s advisory team free on (0800) 953-9503. A business adviser will then arrange to meet you to discuss your needs and recommend the best way forward for your business idea or existing business.