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Having a bright and original idea for a business is one thing, turning it into reality takes commitment, self-belief and determination. Tim Vyrenhoef, founder of Nutratech, has all of these things and, as a result, scooped the title of Innovative Business of the year at the Startups Awards 2005.
The UK is a nation both obsessed with losing weight and dieting, as well as one where most of us could not bear to leave our homes without our mobile phones.
Therefore any business that can successfully marry these two national addictions is likely to be on the verge of a winning idea.
Vyrenhoef, 38, was working at Boots prior to founding Nutratech but was becoming tired of working for a large blue chip company where innovative ideas were well received but not always easy to get off the ground.
He had previously worked in the store’s weight management section and was well aware of the types of products that were on the market.
“My experience was in the weight management sector so I felt that I had a good understanding of the market,” says Vyrenhoef. “I felt that there was a need for a service using technology for people to keep track of what they were eating.”
Vyrenhoef sensed that there was a gap in the market; he knew of many products that helped people count calories or keep calories down, but didn’t feel they addressed the educational needs of people who were dieting.
“The products were okay if you were happy eating strawberry milkshake for meals or prepared to keep a food diary,” he says.
“But most people struggle to do that.”
Vyrenhoef conceived an idea that would allow users to key barcode numbers into their mobiles and receive the calorie and fat contents of the food they are about to buy.
Therefore this would help them make informed choices about their food buying and servings.
“Unlike a food diary, where you have to do all the calculations yourself. Nutracheck does it all for you and through a mobile phone. It is very discreet, no-one will know if you are counting calories or sending a text.”
However, in order for his idea to work he would have to create a huge database including all the different barcodes and food details. However there was no information ready available to buy, so Vyrenhoef and his colleagues, Rachel Hartley and Paul Cookson, had to compile it all themselves.
This was no mean feat and now the Nutratech database includes information on about 30,000 products, the information came from suppliers or failing that from the label on the goods themselves.
“It’s taken a long time but it is the only barcode database in the UK, creating this was one of the biggest challenges,” says Vyrenhoef.
With the database complete Vyrenhoef left his job at Boots and launched Nutratech in July 2004.
“It was always going to be difficult as I had been in big blue chip companies for 15 years, but it was a relief when I left,” he says.
Vyrenhoef has few regrets about his decision to quit the comfort of his job to go it alone.
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