Developed by Kerrie Keeling, an ex-investment banker, A Woman's Touch is a building and property maintenance company with a twist - the majority of the workforce are women! Staff include female brick layers, plumbers, tilers, carpenters, electricians, decorators, architects, estimators, plasterers and office staff (and a few very well trained men as well!)

A Woman's Touch cover large projects such as basement and loft conversions, all the way through kitchen and bathroom fitting and refurbishments, down to small decorating and maintenance jobs. They currently cover London, Brighton and Southern Spain.

Keeling won 'Female Entrepreneur' in the BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur awards in 2007. We caught up with her to find out about her success and to get some useful tips for women who want to start their own business.

How did you begin?
I had some work done by a bad tiler who was messy, rude, left the loo seat up and left dirty cups around the house. This made me spot an opportunity and a gap in the market. I had studied business studies and Spanish at university so always had an idea that I would set up my own business.

How did you build the business?
By listening to my customers and what they wanted. We start out just decorating but then customers started asking if we offered more and more trades so we gradually added these, to the point where we now offer everything to building the entire house, and now reach further afield than just London.

What was your most testing time and how did you get through it?
Cash flow is always difficult to manage. We have to deal with cowboy clients who never have any intention of paying and then have to go through a difficult and lengthy legal process. We currently have six legal cases ongoing, but so far have had a 100 per cent track record.

What was your most inspiring/happy moment?
There have been two; the first one was meeting the Queen last year. She held a reception for women in business at Buckingham Palace and I was surrounded by famous faces including Camilla Parker Bowles, Sophie Wessex and Princess Anne. The second, was doing some work for Gordon Ramsay which he was really pleased with.

What attitudes have you experienced in a traditionally male-dominated industry?
The attitudes tend to be much nicer than those I experienced in my previous job of investment banking and on the whole it tends to be very encouraging. Most people love us and what we are doing, including other tradespeople that we meet.

Do your female staff wolf-whistle men?
Not that I'm aware of, although we do talk about men!

Why are you so successful?
I am doing something that I am passionate about and doing something that the market wants. It's much easier to develop a business for something that there is a market for than inventing something and then trying to create a market for it.

What do you love about your job?
The fact that no two days are the same. Last week I had to help the police with a case they were investigating, then went straight from that to painting a ceiling, flying to Spain to bid for a project and then helping to clean the office.

What advice do you have for women who want to start their own business?
Go for it. Don't procrastinate or be put off by the thought of writing a business plan. Take advantage of being a woman as it makes you stand out in many different sectors.

What traits do you need to be a successful business person?

• Passion
• A head for figures
• Gutsy
• Not mind confrontation
• Good listener
• Disciplined - allow yourself time off for yourself an your family

Who has inspired you the most?
Richard Branson, for his sense of fun and willingness to take on everything. Also, his over-arching brand in every sector. It's something that I aspire to do with A Woman's Touch. Also my brother - he is so different from me but offers me advice for A Woman's Touch and is level-headed, strategic, honest and supportive.

What's your top tip for succeeding in business?
Be open to opportunities. It's a great advantage to be a small business as you can adapt and be flexible.

What plans do you have for the future?
We're already across eight cities in the UK but we're hoping to expand to 20-30 towns and cities over the next five years as well as expanding abroad into France, Italy, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. We're also looking at developing into complementary areas like car mechanics. That's my five-year plan but I'm open to anything.

How did winning 'Female Entrepreneur' at the BT Essence of the Entrepreneur Awards help you and your business?
It had enormous benefit in terms of the exposure and publicity that was generated and not just for new customers but also people who wanted to come and work for us that I wasn't expecting.

It was also a great pat on the back, something which I hadn't had before but you always need when setting up your own business. It was really encouraging.

It has also generated a number of speaking opportunities and I've been asked to go and speak to all types of audiences, including sixth formers, which makes me feel as if I am giving something back.