PRIME Initiative

John Connolly, 52, realised there was an opportunity for him on eBay when he sold some of his possessions on the auction site after being unemployed for six months. He has now moved on from clearing out his house to selling and repairing cameras internationally.

John, a former photographer, discussed and developed his business plan with In Biz in Sunderland. After some test trading, he applied for and got a PRIME loan to put the business on a professional footing.

Trading under the eBay screen name of WorldCameras, John now specialises in selling second-hand photographic equipment he buys locally in the North-East.

“PRIME’s loan was vital”, John says. “I hadn’t worked for a bit, so it helped me make the initial purchases.

“My advisers from InBiz, who helped me prepare my business plan and make the loan application, were also fantastic. They made me concentrate on just how I was going to manage during the first 12 months.”’

In many ways John Connolly, working out of his seaside home in Whitburn, just north of Sunderland, is typical of 50+ entrepreneurs. He exploits his accumulated wisdom, experience and knowledge and combines them with the latest technology.

John starts by placing small ads in the Wanted sections of his local papers. He pays cash and acquires an amazing variety of cameras and associated equipment. His past experience as a professional photographer helps him in two respects: he has an eye for what the market wants and he takes high quality photos, for display on the web, of all the articles he puts forward for auction.

Buyers from all over the world are then able to bid for a camera that could have spent the last 50 years in an attic in Whitley Bay. So far the response has been overwhelming and he has sold 95% of everything he auctions.

Says John, “It’s as if the Internet was designed for my business because it enables me to buy local and sell global.”