Carol Ives and Andy Peck have been busy during the past 12 months.

They have fallen in love, moved in together, survived a bout of pneumonia and launched two flourishing businesses in Brighton and Hove.

Carol, 32, is a London-trained fashion stylist while Andy, 33, has an extensive marketing background with companies including Bass, Britvic and, most recently, Red Bull.

Now they run two companies: Lace, a clothes boutique in East Street, Brighton, and The Menu Guide Brighton and Hove, based in Adelaide Crescent, Hove.

Carol and Andy grew up in Worthing and, although they went to different schools, knew each other through mutual friends.

Their paths crossed again three years ago in Hove and it turned into something more serious.

Things were put on hold when Carol went on a styling assignment in South Africa and Andy went for an extended holiday in New Zealand.

But their time apart was the catalyst for their first combined business venture.

The Menu Guide - like a lot of good ideas - is so simple you wonder why it has not been done before.

Restaurants pay a fee to print their menu in a glossy brochure which is published twice a year and delivered to hotels and through people's doors.

Carol had seen similar guides while she was in Cape Town and likewise Andy in New Zealand, but neither could think of anything comparable in the UK outside London.

When they returned to England they discussed the possibility of publishing a similar guide in Brighton and Hove. It was a 'Eureka' moment.

Within four months the pair had sold the idea to 50 restaurant and bar owners and distributed the first edition to more than 87,000 homes and hotels across Sussex.

From day one it was a labour of love.

Andy said: "We were working 24 hours a day and physically exhausted but it was something we believed could work.

"We employed a local photographer and design studio to work on the magazine and then secured deals with a printer and distributor.

"We delivered a lot of the copies ourselves because our distributor only covered a certain area."

Carol adds: "It was the middle of winter and bitterly cold. I was wrapped up in a parka, pushing the guide through people's letterboxes. I ended up catching pneumonia.

"We were the delivery boy, the sales team and the publisher. Looking back now, and knowing how many staff most publications employ, I realise it was quite an achievement."

What's more, it was their first real taste for business.

A second edition is out and two-thirds of the advertising space for November's issue has been filled.

Andy said: "The response we have had has been fantastic. They appreciate how much hard work has gone into it and have said as much.

"We want to create a loyal customer base, so we spend a lot of time nurturing contacts and offer what we think - we know - is a very good advertising fee."

Carol said: "I think a lot of businesses go wrong by concentrating too much on money.

"I am not a greedy person and neither is Andy. We want to provide a good service first.

"I think when people see that you get loyalty and success comes from there."

Heartened by the success of the Menu Guide the pair embarked on their second business adventure - a small clothes boutique in The Lanes.

Carol - who has also started writing a fashion column in The Argus - describes the shop as her dream.

She studied fashion at Westminster College, London, and cut her teeth as a stylist working for magazines like Vogue and Company.

She worked for big brands like Diesel, got to know the right people and became a freelance stylist.

Now she says she misses nothing about London and eulogises Brighton.

While she is the face of Lace, Andy has a sound knowledge of stock-keeping and accounting.

The philosophy which governs how they run The Menu Guide - customer focus before profit - applies to Lace, which is already developing a loyal clientele.

Andy said: "A woman was trying something on in the shop the other day and asked Carol if she looked good.

"Carol was honest and said no. But the woman was back the next day with her friend."

This honest, unobtrusive approach to business has won them a lot of friends.

Friday July 02, 2004