Steve aims to go clear of opposition

Feb 16 2010 by Karen Dent, The Journal

ONE of the winner's of last year's If We Can, You Can challenge has launched the first stage of his online business and has revealed plans for a rapid expansion.

The first phase of former trainee jet pilot Steve Smith’s specialised search engine for the horse industry has gone live and he is planning a motorcross version and a mountain biking, athletics and automotive section to complete his GSS sports and leisure online hub.

The South Tyneside 19-year-old has spent the last 12 months completing GSS Equestrian with the help of eight web developers.

Mr Smith, a competitive showjumper who turned his back on a career with the RAF when the recession hit funding to train new pilots, said: “Currently in the equestrian industry you can only search using general search engines, meaning you have to sift through thousands of results just to get the right one.

“Our search engine is much more specific and works like a flow diagram. Users are asked two or three questions about their enquiry, meaning that their results are far more tailored.

“The idea behind the site is that the search is more centred on relevance than speed and there’s no issue of the bigger companies with more advertising spend coming up top of the results.”

His idea earned him one of the winning slots in the Entrepreneurs’ Forum competition last year and he is now aiming to expand by taking on two employees.

“It’s been a hard year, but I honestly think we’ve done a great job and have no doubts the next year will be an exciting one,” he said.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride. I flew fighter jets for three years, but this has been much more exhilarating.”