WINNING the Small Business Award last year was really important to St Neots software company BrightVisions, which plans to enter again this year, chief executive Philip Mashinchi told The Hunts Post. Winning the award was great for us. It gave the whole

WINNING the Small Business Award last year was really important to St Neots software company BrightVisions, which plans to enter again this year, chief executive Philip Mashinchi told The Hunts Post.

"Winning the award was great for us. It gave the whole team a very large boost to be recognised for what we were doing, and it gave us more recognition with customers and made it easier to contact new clients and convert that into business."

BrightVisions still takes huge pride in never having lost a customer through the quality of its work - though it did lose one that was taken over and moved to Germany.

Since last November's triumph, the company has set up a software development subsidiary, Soft Solutions, in Cambridge and has been talking to suitors about acquisitions and a possible merger with a larger outfit.

"We are looking at how we can really grow. It started through a chance meeting at a conference, but nothing is likely to happen for 12 months," Mr Mashinchi said.

The 10-employee company has been quite stretched and wants to take on more people, but is a bit picky about who works for BrightVisions.

"Our culture is different from that of other companies, and we need to find people who will fit in. BrightVisions was not set up just to make money so much as to help the customer, so we always go the extra mile. We need people who can fit with that.

"We are here to find solutions, and our clients must want those solutions to be found. That's working very well for us. We are more likely to turn clients down if we don't think they're really committed to solving their own problems than they are to turn us down."

Mr Mashinchi makes a point of visiting all BrightVisions' clients personally once or twice a year to gather feedback on his firm's performance.

"Internally, we have invested a lot of time and effort in getting our structure right to take ourselves to the next level.

"But we also want to give something back. We have a tie-up with Cambridge Regional College to provide a possible opening for a student, and we set aside part of our profits each year to back charities or other things we can help."

INFORMATION: BrightVisions Limited, 8 Eaton Court Road, Colmworth Business Park, St. Neots PE19 8ER. Telephone: 01480 219261. www.brightvisions.co.uk.