Allan proves it's never too late

A 63-year-old Telford electrician has sparked two new inventions and launched a new company - proving it's never too late to start up in business.

Allan Mackenzie had to step away from his contract electrical work after a serious injury left him unable to carry on.

Now he is the brains behind Mailguard - an arson-proof, dog-resistant letter box which also trebles up as a burglar deterrent.

Allan sought help from Business Link in the West Midlands on how to put his ideas into commercial reality and has already had the thumbs-up from fire chiefs as well as supplying Mailguard to crime prevention teams.

Fitting behind the door, it catches post, keeping it out of sight of would-be burglars who know a mound of gathering post is a sure sign the occupant is away.

Meanwhile, Allan's second invention - an energy and labour-saving device Plug-Tugs - are plastic labelled strips wrapped around the plug making it easy to pull them out of sockets.

Business Link has helped Allan set up his budding new company, Solutions Through Innovation, after he sought advice on how best to progress his products into the marketplace.

Allan said: "I took the plunge to sell the exclusive rights to both because I didn't have the expertise in all the skills required. I would like to thank Jim Lyndsey, my adviser for his invaluable support and advice.

"He talked me through the pros and cons of retaining full control, versus relinquishing some of it. It just made more sense for me to sell the rights for five years to Prestige Products, a company experienced in taking new products to market."

Mailguard has an in-built extinguisher to put out attempted fires and as well as keeping the post away from the dog, it even removes the need to bend down and pick up the mail. Similarly, Plug-Tugs mean electrical items can be easily removed from sockets and are not left on standby wasting electricity.

"I work on the basis that necessity is the mother of invention," Allan continued.

"I knew a burglar once who told me he used to walk down the street and if there was mail piling up on the floor he knew the house was empty and was fair game, so that inspired me really.

"Sales are going well after being tested by the West Midlands and London Fire Services. For example, large numbers are being bought by local authorities as an anti-arson device, fitting them into homes of people at risk from arson attacks in their area."

Anyone wanting to find out more about either of Allan's inventions can visit www.guardyourmail.com and www.plug-tugs.com

Business adviser Jim Lindsey added: "Allan has a lot of other clever inventions up his sleeve which I'm sure we'll see more of in the future.

"Understanding that we aren't necessarily experts at everything we do is an important lesson to learn and there usually is another way around tackling parts of a business we're not so comfortable with.Allan's success also proves there's no need to stop working completely just because you have a disability."