Teenager’s in the Hunt for net gain (From Swindon Advertiser)

Teenager’s in the Hunt for net gain

9:21am Friday 3rd March 2006 in News By Anthony Osborne

YOUNG apprentice Martin Hunt has big ideas for his website. The son of former Swindon Town chairman Rikki Hunt wants the site, Hunt For It, to take on a slice of the online auction market currently dominated by giants such as eBay.

The site officially launched in London this week offers customers free auction listings and the chance to help the community at the same time.

"I see myself more as an apprentice," said 16-year-old Martin.

"I am really enjoying myself and learning a lot, much more than I would have business studies at school or college.

"There have been a few late nights, even working to 4am once or twice, but I can show that business is more about ideas than just about big money.

"I am building my confidence all the time. Now I'm enjoying the limelight."

But although Martin came up with the idea and the name, he doesn't get to take the top job of chief executive.

That role falls to Rikki who has invested his own money in the project.

So instead Martin is the site's equally important head of sales.

Rikki, 52, said: "He's very much my protg.

"He's growing in confidence all the time, "He's happy to approach people with far more experience than he has and can still put down his sales pitch.

"I think he can do this with confidence because he believes in the product backing him up.

"His role as of head of sales is absolutely crucial."

"We are already the fifth biggest internet auction site.

"I have set us some tough targets but I think in four to five months we could be the number two,"

Currently, Hunt For It serves the British Isles, but Martin and Rikki are already talking about international expansion.

"We don't see opening a Moscow office. We would rather find international partners and licence the website out," added Rikki.

The site started late last year, when Martin began selling mini-motorcycles over the net for a tidy profit.

A discussion with dad grew into bigger things.

Soon Martin had purchased an internet auction site called bidlair and out of that grew Hunt For It.

Now the firm employs five people at its Swindon office in Old Town and a further 15 up and down the country are involved in the site's development.

Like similar auction sites, it has already seen its fair share of unusual items going on sale including a live rabbit. But this was soon spotted and removed.

Web wonders

SWINDON already has its fair of young Internet entrepreneurs.

Arguably, the most successful so far is Cricklade student Alex Tew, who netted $1,000,000 (£750,000) by selling advertising space on his websitemilliondollar homepage.com He wanted to use the website as a way of funding his university education and had no idea he would go on to achieve his aim in less than six month.

James Senior, 24, who lives in the town centre, set up his website www.favourxchange.com late last year to encourage people to swap skills.

The site allows people to trade their skills to get things they want done.

So if a person hates doing the ironing, but are pretty nifty at potting up plants, the website could allow that person swap their skills with someone else.