Small Business

The weather takes a turn for the worse, but the wind and the rain don’t bother the Corsa, which holds the road firmly. The well-weighted steering and Corsa’s dynamic chassis makes short work of the corners. But it’s the Corsa’s boot and clever stowable luggage compartment cover that can be stored behind the rear seats that impress our next young entrepreneur, Giles Peters.

He’s a young man who started his first business – hampers full of diabetic goodies – when he saw a gap in the market – at the tender age of 17.

“I’m always moving hampers around so, while smart looks, low running costs and a fun drive are important, decent stowage space is vital,” explains Giles. Even though he’s only 19 now, Giles is already looking around for his second major business to invest in, having recently sold Diabetic Hampers.  “Most of my family are diabetic and they always struggled to find nice things to eat. That’s what gave me the idea,” explains Giles.

Back in 2007, Giles met Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling when he won the Enterprising Young Britain Teen Award. However Giles eventually decided to sell his successful business rather than become involved with outside partners. “Keeping full control is important,” he advises, “but of course you only have yourself to blame if it goes wrong.”

We leave Giles to ponder his future and tend to his investments, whilst setting the Corsa EcoFLEX its biggest challenge yet, the long haul north to Edinburgh. The Vauxhall’s smartly-designed cabin strikes just the right balance between cosiness and spaciousness. There’s plenty of support from the seats and the miles roll by comfortably and with ease.