Murray Clark: How I seized a window of opportunity

Entrepreneur Murray Clark started off importing window shutters with £1,500 cash and some unused airmiles. Now his business, the California Company, has annual sales of £3m, and is about to expand into America.

High-street sales may be plummeting in this recession, but so are shipping costs. And for shutters importer Murray Clark, 36, that makes business a lot easier. "Eighteen months ago it cost £3,500 to ship a 40ft container door-to-door from China," says the founder of Brighton-based window shutter business The California Company. Today, the same 31-day trip costs £1,800. "So there's an upside to the recession."

The son of an engineer with Scottish Nuclear, Clark grew up in Clarkston, a well-heeled suburb of Glasgow. Always looking for ways to make money, he had a paper round at the age of nine, "which sounds a bit Dickensian". He later graduated to selling bootleg computer games and music compilation tapes at Williamwood High School.

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Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.