Steven's a builder. Tina is a massage therapist. And Patrick is a mad keen golfer.

What do they all have in common?

They're all starting their own small businesses.

And they've agreed to let Working Lunch follow their fortunes over the next 12 months.

If you've ever dreamt of being your own boss, this one's for you.

Find out how to raise start-up finance, what goes in a business plan, and how to find customers.

Ups and downs

We'll be tracking the ups and downs, and learning the lessons of being in business as they do.

The series begins on September the 11th when we'll be meeting Tina and Steven.

Tina wants to turn her passion for massage into a profitable business.

She's got just a few weeks to go before she's due to appear in front of a panel of business experts at the Prince's Trust charity, to convince them to lend her the start-up funds she needs.

Brighton builder, Steven Puleston has just started his own business after years of working for other people.

He's finding time-management a big issue.

He's working seven days a week at the moment taking advantage of a wealth of work while it's on offer.

Challenge

His challenge is to be able to turn down work - a scary thought when you're working for yourself.

The following week, September 18th, we'll be meeting Patrick Ord who's teamed up with two mates to turn their hobby into a business.

Patrick's a keen golfer, but gets frustrated at not being able to play, whatever the weather.

The solution?

An indoor golf club. It's not as mad as it sounds.

They're planning to use computer simulators to provide an all weather golf centre in Chesterfield.

Gamble

It's a big gamble.

They're investing a lot of their own money in the project, but they reckon it's a winning idea.

All our business start-ups have shown they've got the drive to get their ideas off the ground - but whether they have the mettle to keep afloat is another matter.

Watch this space to find out whether they manage it.