A MUM-OF-SIX has taken her first step into the cut-throat world of business after successfully completing a women-only enterprise course run by the University of Bath in Swindon.

Liz Brackenbury, 37, of Hathaway Road, of Upper Stratton signed up to the Women into Enterprise course with the aim of developing a number of business ideas she had devised while bringing up her children.

And after receiving expert tuition in areas such as marketing and advertising during the nine-month course at the university's Oakfield campus, Liz has forged a fledging career as a distributor for a number of firms who specialise in children's accessories.

"I had lots of business ideas before I went on the course," recalled Liz. "One was a safety clip for a child car restraint and the other main idea was a reusable, self-heating bottle for babies.

"I was able to use all the facilities, resources and a free creche at the university to develop my ideas and was given lots of advice on patenting. Unfortunately, I discovered that both of my ideas had already been done.

"But the course also gave some really good pointers on networking and making contacts, so I found a company called Sunshine Kids that specialised in the products I was interested in and approached them about becoming a distributor.

"The guy that runs the company has been very supportive and as a follow on from that I have also got involved with selling products for a few other firms."

And Liz has been so heartened by the start she has made in her career, she has urged others to follow her lead.

"The course has given me so much confidence and I would definitely recommend it to any mums who are interested in setting up their own business," she said.

"You get mentors if you need them, you get the chance to attend seminars and everyone on the course is so helpful. It gives you a real insight into business and I would say if you've got an idea, go for it!

"The course is also free, which is fantastic. At first the prospect of going into business was quite scary, but now I can't wait to develop some more ideas and hopefully set up my own firm one day."

If you would like to find out more about the child products being sold by Liz, call her on 01793 832715.

To find out more about the courses on offer at the University of Bath in Swindon telephone the campus on 01793 328700 or log onto www.bath.ac.uk/swindon