"Business can be hard work, but if you show drive and commitment the rewards can be great."

So says Meena Pathak, co-owner of the Patak's Food company. And she knows what she's talking about.

"Growing up in India, I never thought that I would be in the position I am today, running a business with a turnover in excess of �50 million and exporting to 40 markets worldwide.

"I think that my own experience is proof that if you have a passion for what you do, you're half way there already."

Role model

Meena Pathak is a strong role model for the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Which is why she's one of the judges of the Working Lunch Big Zipper Challenge - a competition aimed at finding the best young business brains from across the UK.

The grand final, held at the head offices of the Design Council, saw pupils from 10 schools competing.

Their challenge was to come up with the best idea to benefit their school or community.

Big idea

At the final they each had just 10 minutes to pitch their idea to a high profile panel of judges which included Barbara Cassani - the chief executive of the airline Go - and Bill Midgley, the deputy president of the British Chambers of Commerce.

And they were joined by Working Lunch's own Simon Gompertz.

Winners

The winning idea came from four students at Bolton's Westhoughton High School - Amber Jones, Kirk Cairns, Robert Drath and David Booth - who designed a system to check on school truants using text messages.

The runners-up came from Heathfield Community College students - Emma Fuller, Rebecca Wicks and Lynsey Parson - who designed a table adaptation for their school's wheelchair users.

Ideas ranged from a new generation of litter bins that actually crunch the litter inside to stress balls made to look like teachers' faces.

All sorts

Some of the ideas were simple - one London school plans to charge shoppers to use their school car park when the school is closed.

Some were quite complex - for example a new satellite device to help motorists avoid crash scenes.

All the ideas showed flair and imagination - qualities that are essential to good business, according to Big Zipper judge Bill Midgley.

Experience

Bill has years of business experience.

As well as being the deputy president of the British Chambers of Commerce, he's also the retired chief executive of Newcastle Building Society, and the present chairman of many other businesses ranging from an internet company to a county cricket club.

"It's essential that we educate youngsters that business start-ups are a real first choice career - not a second alternative," says Bill.

"We not only need to educate but also to excite youngsters about opportunities in business."

"Basic business skills can be taught. But flair can't. It has to be encouraged."

A flair for business

It's that flair that has been the key to the success of entrepreneurs like Shami Ahmed, the man who made a million with Joe Bloggs jeans.

Shami helped launch the Big Zipper Challenge in September last year.

His advice for business success was simple. "Do your homework!"

"What's going to be so special about what you are going to do?

"Why would anyone want to buy it? Is it the price, the style, or the brand. And can you make a profit?"

Go-ing for it

Barbara Cassani did her homework.

Barbara Cassani set up no frills airline Go

She set up the no frills airline, Go, for British Airways. And last year she led a successful management buyout of the company.

The move has paid off as the company recently reported a pre-tax profit rise of 51% along with more than a 40% rise in passenger numbers.

Barbara Cassani and other entrepreneurs work hard to make their companies a success.

Starting early

That work can start early. As it did in Meena Pathak's case.

"Since I was a child I have loved everything about food, so I studied food technology in Bombay", she says.

Meena Pathak turned her passion for food into a business

"When I came to England, I started experimenting with traditional Indian recipes, grinding spices and preserving them in oil.

"At that time, there were no authentic Indian sauces available in UK supermarkets so I was convinced that there would be a market for the products."

Meena stuck with her idea and 25 years later the curry pastes she makes are on supermarket shelves throughout the world - and selling better than ever!

Who knows, perhaps there's another Meena Pathak, Barbara Cassani, or Shami Ahmed among the Big Zipper finalists.

All the finalists

Sutton Grammar School for Boys, Sutton, Surrey
Idea: The school submitted a design for a CD-Rom designed to aid primary school students and their parents to deal with selective education exams.

Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, New Cross, London
Idea: To turn their school grounds into a car park on holidays and weekends.

Westergate Community School, Chichester, West Sussex
Idea: Stress balls with teachers' faces on which they plan to sell to their school community. They are also planning to make stress balls of famous faces to sell outside the school.

William Whitehead, Tavistock College, Tavistock, Devon
Idea: A system that transmits a signal to a satellite and on to a control centre when a car crash takes place.

Sunnydale School, Shildon, Co. Durham
Idea: To use new technology to mount and deliver affordable school photos in areas where families often can't afford them.

Westhoughton High School, Bolton
Idea: To reduce the amount of school truancy, reduce the costs of the school phone bill and improve school to home communication by using text messaging as a means of supplying info to parents.

Dartford Grammar School, Dartford, Kent.
Idea: Glow in the dark football which can be developed into a range of glow in the dark sports equipment.

Heathfield Community College, Old Heathfield, East Sussex
Idea: To create a table adaptation for school wheelchair users.

Dormston School, Dudley
Idea: The design of more interesting and functional litter bins. Internal mechanism to crush litter.

Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, Rugby
Idea: To provide service offering support/help and info to self-harmers.

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Student Guide

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Working Lunch is always bursting with entrepreneurs.

They are people with bright ideas who have made a name for themselves by running a business.

What do they have in common?

Entrepreneurs generally want to do things their own way.

They don't want to answer to others all the time.

When asked why they ran their own businesses, people gave the following answers.

Reasons for being an entrepreneur

A recent survey by accountancy firm Coopers and Lybrand quizzed entrepreneurs to find out why they went into business for themselves.

65% said because of a sense of personal satisfaction

43% liked the idea of doing things their own way

41% said the wanted to increase their job security

37% said they were looking for capital growth

27% enjoyed the ability to take a longer term view

24% said they wanted to increase their personal wealth

16% said they wanted something to pass on to their children

Just think

If you were running your own business, what would you want from it?

How do you compare with the survey results?

Entrepreneurial people

The Big Zipper Challenge was judged by several entrepreneurs.

One of them was Meena Pathak of Patak's foods. She runs part of the family business.

The name of the business was changed so British people could pronounce it more easily.

Barbara Cassani and David Puttnam are two of the others.

Just think

Carry out a web search to find out about them both.

What sort of businesses do they run?

How did they become entrepreneurs?

What do you think made them want to run their own businesses?

Becoming an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs sell a product or service to other people or businesses.

What does it take?

A product that people want to buy.

A business only survives if it makes a profit so before you begin you need to carry out some market research to check that people will buy your product.

A price that people are prepared to pay.

A great idea can be a great success if the price is right.

If it's too high, you will have a disaster on your hands.

A product that they know about.

A brilliant product needs marketing.

If people don't know about it, they can't buy it.

A place where they can buy it.

Whatever the product, it must be under people's noses.

It might be in the shops, on the web or on a shopping channel - but wherever it is, people must be able to buy it.

Just think

Have you got a business idea?

Have you had to create a business plan for the course you are following?

Did your scheme match up?

Have you got what it takes?

Do you have bright ideas?

Can you make them happen?

Can you organise people?

Can you plan ahead?

Will you take the risk?

Taking a risk is a key part of being an entrepreneur.

When you put your money into a scheme, you want to know that it will make a profit for you.

It's never certain but the more careful the research and planning, the better the chance.

Just think

Explain why each of these skills is important when running your own business?

Can you think of any others?