smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Jeff Brehaut set up his company Beach Volleyball in 2007 to build courts and run events. Now he’s hitting a turnover of more than half a million.

Where did you get the idea?

It was more accident than design. I’ve been involved in volleyball for years, but I decided to start the company after someone got in contact about where to play the sport in the UK.

How did you get funding?

Mainly through local businesses and regional development agencies. We’ve done a lot of work in Blackpool. There’s been major redevelopment in that region, and volleyball has been a way of helping to change its image as a ‘kiss me quick’ seaside city.

How has it taken off?

After getting the contracts in Blackpool we used the money to set up courts and events in other parts of the country. The main reason we’ve been such a success is because of the interest generated in the sport because of the Olympics.

How have you marketed it?

We’ve used PR as a way of raising the profile of the event and to make people more aware of it on a national level. It also has a lot of promotional value because people see it as lifestyle sport and associate it with scantily clad women!

Where next?

The next step is to bring in a world event into the country and to try and make it as big a sport as it is in other European countries.

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