In a year when credit was scarce and prospects bleak, it's good to know that UK enterprise carried on unimpeded. This year's winners of the BT Essence of the Entrepreneur honours offer welcome inspiration for innovators in established companies or start-ups alike. Young entrepreneur winner Ox "above" kicks off our selection of six entrepreneurs, all photographed by Rankin. Ox took the proceeds from the sale of his flat to transfer his family's central London fruit and vegetable stall online. The result, Fruit for the Office, was the first to offer delivery of fresh fruit to British workplaces. Trading out of London's New Covent Garden, Ox has a van for local deliveries, but the website means Ox's business can help employees nationwide get their five-a-day.
Six of the Best: Essence of the Entrepreneur Winners
Sam Bompass and Harry Parr
When it comes to original business concepts, Bompass and Parr's eponymous start-up takes the cake. Calling themselves Jelly Mongers, they have revived the art of decorative jelly-making, holding events and creating one-off moulds for the likes of Kraft and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Six of the Best: Essence of the Entrepreneur Winners
Paul Gilbraith
Blackburn-based Gilbraith proves that inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. His business, Banner Bags, recycles promotional ad banners and tarpaulin, using these and the webbing from old seat-belts, to create bright, eco-friendly bags and bean-bags.
Six of the Best: Essence of the Entrepreneur Winners
Samantha Hale
Already an award-winning family business, Hale's Advance Performance is a runner's haven, offering products and gait analysis for all levels of jogger. Best of all, over 85 percent of new business is word of mouth. The result: in a year when breaking even was tough, Hale's profits rose by 150 percent and web sales by nearly 50 percent.
Six of the Best: Essence of the Entrepreneur Winners
Mitesh Soma
Winner of the 'male entrepreneur' gong, Soma's start-up journey could be seen as something of a classic. Spotting the opportunity to undercut traditional bricks-and-mortar chemists by moving online, he set up Chemist Direct with his wife, a pharmacist, in 2007 and hasn't looked back.
Six of the Best: Essence of the Entrepreneur Winners
Sara Murray
Sara Murray's no stranger to start-ups — this is her third — but her latest venture, Buddi, is probably the most personal. The business sells small GPS personal trackers — the idea coming from a couple of episodes that reminded Murray that parents can't always keep children in their sights.
