EACH week the Evening Times will turn the spotlight on one of the dozens of new businesses determined to succeed.

They are the future for Glasgow and the west of Scotland's economy and are working hard to achieve success in the face of continuing economic hardship.

Many new businesses are struggling to take off because of the economic downturn, and this new column will offer advice for potential start-ups.

Each company will answer the same questions about their business and their answers will appear in the Evening Times each Wednesday. This week we talk to Laura McKinnon, Elaine Burns and Alan Armitage, the directors of Wear Eponymous

What does your business do?

We are an e-commerce platform dedicated to providing affordable luxury fashion and championing emerging fashion designers.

Where are you based?

In Glasgow city centre.

How did you get started?

We all previously had our own freelance businesses in the fashion, beauty and IT industries.

After recognizing a resurgence of fashion design talent within Scotland, it was a natural progression to create a platform utilising our skills to harness this talent.

Over the course of several months, we fleshed out our business idea with the appropriate research and built a funding package that helped us obtain the appropriate materials to begin trading.

What is your background?

Laura is an award-winning fashion, beauty and celebrity photographer.

She started her career aged 18 and quickly launched her own business, where she travelled the world working with celebrity clients and famous magazines.

Elaine is a make-up artist who has worked on celebrities and photo-shoots for some of the country's most famous TV shows and magazines.

She also co-developed the HND make-up artistry course for Forth Valley College and now teaches privately through her own company Homespa.

Finally, Alan worked for Hewlett Packard and Maxima after graduating with a degree in Computing and Multimedia.

He went freelance in 2009 and aided Elaine in developing her own YouTube channel and specialises in the development of business intelligence software.

What is your top tip?

Getting your brand consistent is the key. All leading businesses have outstanding branding, and that doesn't just mean a logo, it must translate to all aspects from stationery to social media.

How long has your business been running?

We launched this year.

Has anyone helped you get started and how?

We are grateful to have received support from Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise and Young Enterprise Scotland.

Business Gateway helped us to develop market research, which we found crucial from a strategic point of view as well as allowing us to produce a comprehensive business plan.

Working with Business Gateway and other organisations has also led to us getting to know significant people in the business world through networking opportunities.

Where do you plan your business to be in five years' time?

We hope to continue to grow our global market.

Useful contacts

Business Gateway Glasgow www.bgateway.com / 0141 276 5333

Contact Details

www.weareponymous.com

info@weareponymous.com /

Tel: 0785 200 0423