eVentura, St Georges Square, Bolton

CHRIS Houghton started his IT business as a one-man operation.

Five years later, he employs 20 staff and boasts a turnover of £1 million a year.

He likes to do things differently — staff at his company eVentura get St George’s Day off and often on Fridays he will buy them all fish and chips as a reward for their hard work.

And he takes an equally active role in keeping his customers in Britain and abroad happy as well, going the extra mile in terms of service and support for their complex IT systems.

Mr Houghton said: “The company has grown steadily by approximately 20 per cent per year both in terms of turnover and profit.

“The majority of profits are reinvested back into the business in the form of new equipment, systems and staff training and accreditation.”

From a fledgling IT Services and systems consultancy business, eVentura has matured into to a fully accredited Microsoft, Sage and Dell business partner with customers in Britain, Europe, Scandinavia and the east and west coast of the USA.

Mr Houghton said: “Our business offering is better than our competitors because we have a very strong and clearly defined approach to working with people inside the company and customers outside the company.”

eVentura, based at Croft House, St Georges Square, Bolton, has recently become a major partner for Sage, supplier of accounting software.

Mr Houghton expects the company to continue growing during the next few years with expansion into new European markets.

The company also sponsors Bolton Wanderers and has just become a super sponsor of Bolton Lads and Girls Club. For the future, eVentura will be looking at expanding its influence in countries like Poland and the Czech Republic as well as southern Europe.