By the time he was 15 he was running his own IT business from home.

Now 21, Thomas is the managing director of his own IT company, TJS Technology, based in an office suite in Corlett's Home Hardware store.

"These days we can work online on anybody's computer software remotely no matter where they are and we don't even need an IP address to do it, but we prefer not to deal with domestic users as we specialise in commercial applications," Thomas said.

Thomas admits the IT industry is essentially a young person's world.

"We grew up with it as children so for us IT is a natural environment though the complexities of software and ever changing hardware keeps us on our toes. I haven't had a holiday from work for more than two years," he said.

Thomas and his colleague in the new enterprise, Ben Corlette, specialise in commercial-level web page design and construction.

"That includes designing and building all the working links like shopping baskets for on-line retailers. We have the advantage of also being able to put together all the necessary hardware to create a speciality server-driven networked system and tailor the software to suit, which is a blessing for small businesses just starting out," he said.