Hard knocks no barrier to business, says entrepreneur

AN entrepreneur, who has built up a £10m software firm since leaving prison, is urging young people from underprivileged backgrounds to consider setting up their own businesses.

Duane Jackson was jailed for five years for drug trafficking in 2000 and is now an ambassador for Enterprise UK, a Government-funded body established in 2004 by the British Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses to promote enterprise.

Mr Jackson was released in 2002 and turned his life around after starting up as a self-employed web designer with the help of the Princes Trust.

After struggling to find simple accounting software he designed his own, called KashFlow, which he now sells to small businesses. His London-based firm, KashFlow Software, has a turnover of £10m and employs 14 people.

Mr Jackson said: “I’m from an underprivileged background and I didn’t see starting a business as an option. My role is to make people who are in that situation realise that it is a viable option.”

Mr Jackson speaks in schools about his experiences and last week took part in Enterprise UK’s Global Entrepreneurship Week.

“I tell people how I started. I went out and did it, I didn’t worry about qualifications and funding. Rather than just thinking about it you’ve got to do something,” said Mr Jackson. “Actions are much more important than ideas.”

Mr Jackson grew up in care and left school without any qualifications. He believes these experiences have fuelled his success.