IT NEVER occurred to Tom Preston to do anything that didn’t involve cars.

Coming from a family whose livelihood has relied on the motor industry since the 1960s, he was keen to join the business from an early age and began valeting vehicles during his school holidays.

There was no guaranteed job for him in the business though.

Tom worked his way up, taking on a various roles at Prestons BMW, Hillendale and in Mini sales at Colne before becoming sales manager at BMW in 2006.

But Tom, now a finalist for the Business Person Award, had to make some tough decisions when the business was sold six months later.

He said: “I was already doing something I really liked and enjoyed. I didn’t know anything else."

What he did, aged 26, was set up a new company – Hippo Motor Group, with one employee and a lot of enthusiasm.

The company can now supply you with anything from a basic Ford Fiesta to a Ferrari.

He said: “From very humble beginnings in a shared office we now have two big sites in Blackburn, 120 employees and a turnover of £52 million.

"I had to remortgage my house to put the deposit down our first property on Network 65 Burnley.”

Although he now has two general managers, Tom is in the business five days a week.

"When he isn’t, he is still likely to be in or near a car, fulfilling his hobby as a rally driver.