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Two Faversham entrepreneurs are just one step away from a face-to-face meeting with billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
Denise Kesson, who was named Kent Business Woman of the Year earlier this month, and Macknade’s owner Stefano Cuomo will both be pitching their thriving businesses to Virgin Airlines boss if they get through to the next stage of a competition.
The national Pitch to Rich contest, run by Virgin Media Business, will see both candidates fight it out with hundreds of others in a bid to seek support from the super-rich adventurer.
The top prize includes £250,000 worth of marketing and mentoring from Sir Richard himself.
Denise, who runs YourPhysioPlan.com nationwide and Kesson Physiotherapy in Faversham, says they have created a “next generation healthcare provider”.
YourPhysioPlan.com is a monthly payment plan for physiotherapy – the only one of its kind nationally.
They have more than 100 clinics participating across the country.
Mother-of-two Denise, of The Mall, said: “I am incredibly excited about the prospect of getting through to the next stage but the competition gets tougher.
“It’s daunting to think I may be pitching to Sir Richard but I will remind myself I have worked hard and deserve to be there...” - Denise Kesson
“I have climbed and continue to climb a steep learning curve and have taken so much from every experience I have had so far.
“It’s daunting to think I may be pitching to Sir Richard but I will remind myself I have worked hard and deserve to be there.”
Stefano took over the running of Macknade from his father and the business continues to be family-run at the main food hall in Selling Road.
He has recently received planning permission to expand the food hall and currently runs a pop-up shop at Bluewater.
He said: “I want to show the positive power of capitalism and how it is not simply about shareholder return but rather stakeholder engagement; that it has a social relevance and, done properly, can benefit everyone.
“We know we have the team and structure to scale up and take on other sites and having effectively shifted the business from a family-run partnership to a structured, senior team, with the right support, ideally from Richard Branson, I know we can shake up the grocery sector and this is why we deserve to win.”
