The story of how Impact was started will be featured in a new book by David Lester, How They Started in Tough Times.

Britain officially entered recession just over a year ago, resulting in high profile bankruptcies such as Woolworths in 2009. Many businesses, big and small will have been having a tough time, feeling disheartened and struggling to stay afloat.

How They Started in Tough Times (Crimson Publishing: 17 February, 2010) tells the inspirational stories of remarkable businesses that bloomed in an economic downturn.  Written by serial entrepreneur David Lester, How They Started in Tough Times features 25 well-known businesses including Impact. Based on research and direct interviews, David reveals the story behind the UK’s top businesses – how they started up in tough times; the struggles they faced; the opportunities they grasped and how they became the huge successes that they are today...  

Other organisations that feature:

Moonpig – Founded by Nick Jenkins, or ‘Moonpig’ as he was nick-named at school, this personalised greetings cards business was launched just before the downturn in 2000.   At a time that saw fashion retailer Boo.com go bankrupt and share prices collapse for Lastminute.com, Nick had no option but to carry out a round of redundancies and cut back until the economy picked up. Read how he built his business back up, today accounting for 90% of the online greeting cards market.

LinkedIn – When Reid Hoffman launched LinkedIn, America was officially in recession. However, he believed that starting in a recession gave them an advantage because there was less competition.  To keep costs low at the start they grew by word of mouth – discover how they went from 4,500 users in the first month (2003) to 50 million worldwide members today.

Walt Disney Company – Launched during the war, the founders Walt and Roy Disney struggled to get the business off the ground. At his lowest point, Walt Disney had no income, his employers had all quit, he was kicked out of his apartment and his only pair of shoes was being held ransom by the cobbler until he could pay his bill. Discover how he became a global business with a turnover of $37.8bn.

“Businesses that handle crises well, not only survive, but often thrive” says David Lester.  “The smart companies featured in How They Started in Tough Times have profited from the new opportunities that economic uncertainty has presented. The book celebrates innovation and aims to provide inspiration and encouragement to other entrepreneurs struggling in the current economic climate”.

How They Started in Tough Times by David Lester (Crimson Publishing) is out on Wednesday 17 February.  Priced £12.99, it is available to buy from www.crimsonpublishing.co.uk, all good bookshops or online.