TWO new businesses in East Kent are start-up stars.

Red Eagle, a Folkestone recruitment agency, and Busymummy, based in Birchington, outperformed hundreds of hopefuls to be among the 10 regional winners in the 2007 HSBC Start-up Stars Awards.

They will now compete with winners from four other regional heats for a place in the national finals, along with the chance to scoop the top prize of £25,000 and the sought-after title of HSBC Start-Up Star 2007.

The national contest, now in its seventh year, is designed to seek out the most promising new businesses in the UK and to recognise the entrepreneurial talents behind their creation.

Wayne Hodgson and Jo-Anna Stroud started Red Eagle nearly three years ago to supply temporary workers to the transport and other industries.

With local knowledge and long experience in this sector, they decided to target businesses in Kent, offering a personal service and taking the time to understand their clients’ needs.

Their success has been phenomenal, seeing exceptional turnover growth and high retained profits. Accredited by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, Red Eagle has also won a local most promising new business award. By 2010, Red Eagle aims to become one of the top three recruitment businesses in the county.

Rachel Saint, 33, started Busymummy two years ago. She had previously trained as a mentor and life coach and practised neuro linguistic programming before finding herself focusing on the specific needs of teenage parents.

The unique problems faced by this group form the basis of her company, Busymummy, which provides information and training programmes that encourage young parents to return to school, continue learning in another field or find a suitable job.

Busymummy works either directly with disaffected young people, or through other organisations and government agencies.

In just two years, turnover has risen from £15,000 to a predicted £400,000 for 2007. Rachel plans to develop new resource packs, workshops and home study programmes for other teenage groups, to build the business in the American and Australian markets, to train coaches in the delivery of the programmes and to expand their online presence as a recognised resource site for teenagers, parents and professionals.

She says it is much more than a business, seeing her training packages as a stepping stone to further learning, helping young people avoid the trap of a life on benefits and encouraging them to plan for an independent future.

Simon Wainwright, chief operating officer for HSBC Commercial Banking, praised the high quality of entries from the South East.

He said: "The competition for places at regional level has been extremely strong this year, reflecting both the increasing numbers of new businesses in the UK and their growing professionalism. Red Eagle and Busymummy can be very proud of their success in such a keenly contested fight and we wish them luck in the national finals."

The winning business and runner-up will be revealed at a glittering gala dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel on October 24, attended by more than 300 guests representing business, politics and the media.