Impero, a YES success story

In 1997 Laura McDonough and Michael Scantlebury met during a trip to Singapore as winners of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

In 2001 they run Impero, a business directly descended from YES.

After their initial meeting Laura and Michael made plans to work together on their successful business ideas.

Laura's Diocesan team had won the award for a CD-Rom restaurant guide. Michael's Otumoetai College team won for Excel Marketing, a Bay of Plenty event promotions company.

Together they decided to work on providing "marketing solutions for New Zealand restaurants and associated businesses".

Both Michael and Laura went on to study at Auckland University, but also found time to keep developing their business.

Michael found that running the business "actually helped my study" as he could use the business as a case study for his marketing and accounting degree.

In 1998 Impero made another CD-Rom restaurant guide and in 1999 this idea developed into an online version, with www.aucklandrestaurants.co.nz.

By 1999 they were able to buy out their opposition, www.menus.co.nz, which has developed into their current online guide.

This year Michael is working fulltime for Impero and is setting up operations in Wellington. Within three months their guide will also include Christchurch restaurants.

Once Laura finishes her studies at the end of this year she will "put her heart and soul into it for one year and then take a look at it".

Michael says YES is "by far the best thing I did at school".

Laura says YES gave them the platform to succeed on their own.

YES runs in a number of New Zealand secondary schools.

Impero

E-mail:

michael@impero.co.nz

laura@impero.co.nz

Tel (09) 623 8216

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