Top Brass: The fledgling high-flyers

Britain's 10 leading young entrepreneurs, honoured in the 2002 Shell LiveWIRE awards

Lee Sylph, 25, is the driving force behind lingerie company Amanda Lee, a service for women who have undergone breast surgery or have other specialist lingerie requirements. Apart from running her own shop and website, Ms Sylph offers home consultations for customers who can't get to her shop and works closely with breast care nurses, holding regular fitting clinics. She has built up a network of 20 suppliers, has a projected turnover of £75,000 this year and hopes to open another shop soon.

Ms Sylph says: "As part of my BA in fashion and textile management, I worked for a year as a junior buyer for Debenhams. For one of my assignments, I researched the potential market for swim-wear for women who'd had mastectomies. I saw there was a gap in the market.

"I approached a number of department stores, but they all felt they didn't have the space to stock these products in volume and couldn't provide the staff training necessary to sell them.

"I decided to move back to the North-east to address this need myself and started my business in January 2001. For eight months, I cold-called local breast care units and gave talks in hospitals, nursing homes and old people's homes. I opened a shop in Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, covering the overheads by stocking all the usual leading brands, but specialising in lingerie for women who've had breast surgery. It's going very well and I truly love my work."

Daryl Fullerton, 29, and Adrian Bradley, 31, are joint chief executives of Biznet, an e-business solutions provider based in Belfast, which employs over 40 people. It has recently developed web-based management information and reporting systems for BP, Aon and Noble Energy.

"Every day is a different day in the IT sector."

A self-taught computer programmer, 19-year-old David George set up SoftLite last year, providing free software for websites. After taking on a large order to help design websites for the US Postal Service, SoftLite developed its own commercial software, which is now distributed in 37 countries and used by half a million people.

"Follow your dreams and realise your own potential, and you'll succeed."

Kingsley Jones, 27, established Icicle Mountaineering with his partner Sarah Hodgson, also 27, offering a range of climbing courses and expeditions in the Alps; over 97 per cent of their clients have reached the summit of Mont Blanc. Icicle has a perfect safety record, built on Mr Jones' mountain rescue experience.

Mr Jones says: "I enable our clients to achieve life-long goals. There can be no greater gratification than that."

Joanna Marshall, 26, founded Nottingham-based YoYo Textiles in 1999, designing and producing hand-made silk neckties for retailers such as Selfridges and Grey Flannel, as well as independent outlets across the UK. YoYo recently supplied commemorative ties to the FA Premier League.

"Commitment, passion and absolute belief that you can do it are essential. Having found a gap in the market, I'm turning my dream into reality."

Lesley Martyn, 25, set up party planner and caterer Anytime, Anywhere in November 2000 from her parents' spare bedroom. She now has both private and corporate clients throughout the South-west and employs three full-time staff as well as part-timers.

"I believe in what I'm constantly striving to achieve, and ensure that my staff feel the same."

Charlie Osmond, 25, and Caroline Plumb, 24, are co-directors of FreshMinds, a company that uses a network of graduates and undergraduates to carry out research work and meet recruitment needs. FreshMinds has 15 permanent staff and hundreds of students on its books. Mr Osmond says: "You need to have a good idea, work really hard at it, and ask as many people for help as you can."

Sam Tate, 32, and his partner Nick Rutter, 30, are co-founders of Sprue Aegis, the company behind the FireAngel brand of safety products. Eighteen months ago, Sprue Aegis launched the Plug-in smoke alarm, which comes with a rechargeable battery and uses existing light fittings.

Mr Tate says: "Tenacity, long hours of hard work and getting the right people involved are critical. Never listen to 'experts' who say you'll never do it."

Declan Treacy, 24, started in business, buying and selling computers, at 14. He is the founder of StudentAlive.com Entertainment, which provides a portal website for young people offering free information on how to find the right course or college, and on subjects such as health and accommodation.

"There's no such thing as 'it can't be done'. If you have the vision and the confidence in yourself and your team, anything is possible."