Starting a successful business is about more than just having a great idea - it takes careful research and planning too.

These are just a few of the things judges are looking for in the New Business/Innovation category at this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

Husband and wife team Pauline and Neil McKee are the proud proprietors of Manx Ultrasonic Window Blind Solutions.

This successful new start-up was set up to offer a unique way of cleaning window blinds that had never been seen on the island before.

Judges praised the couple at last year’s awards, saying: ’Pauline and Neil identified a gap in the market, carried out market research and small business training and carefully researched the best cleaning methods to use.’

The success of the business, which they run from home in Onchan, has already led to diversification as Pauline explained: ’What we were finding was that when we went to do the cleaning people were asking us if we sold the blinds as well so now we are not just cleaning blinds but supplying them too.’

She and Neil spent six months setting up the business. This included thorough research and training with a UK mentor on how to operate the ultrasonic machine.

It comprises a hot tank for washing and a cold tank for rinsing.

’It works using ultrasonic waves which suck the dirt out of every crevice,’ explained Pauline.

The purpose-built machine was one of the two major capital purchases they had to make.

The other was a van to transport customers’ blinds back to the premises for cleaning.

It has helped hugely that Neil can turn his hand to anything practical.

He has fitted out the inside of the van with foam-lined shelves so that blinds can’t get damaged in transit and he does all the cleaning machine maintenance using spare parts they carry at home so that there is no downtime on the cleaning.

Asked why other new businesses should enter the Awards for Excellence she told us: ’The awards absolutely provided us with exposure, particularly to corporate customers.

’Previously we’d tended to concentrate our advertising on Facebook so we had more residential business but we’re getting a lot more office jobs in now.’

For details of all the award categories at this year’s awards and to download entry forms go to www.iomtoday.co.im.