Telford entrepreneur praised as he celebrates double success

Rob Stone wowed judges with his business acumen as he won the Gold Award for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Business Brilliance Awards, in a ceremony recognising business excellence from around the world.

The next day, he picked up the Silver Award for Business Person of the Year at the SME National Business Awards at a glittering event in Wembley, celebrating the determination, resilience and ambition of UK entrepreneurship.

The double award win followed a highly prestigious place as a finalist at the Growing Business Awards for the Santander Growing Business of the Year, for his loft storage company, Instaloft, which he scaled from a one-man-band to a £14-million-turnover empire, with just a Facebook page and a £200 credit card.

Mr Stone said: “I’m beyond delighted to have won Entrepreneur of the Year and Business Person of the Year in just two days! It’s an incredible honour to have won both accolades, and I’m immensely thankful for my amazing team at Instaloft who have helped to make this possible.

“It’s been an amazing year for me and the business, having launched the electrical arm of the brand, Instaspark, as well as expanding into more of the UK. Winning these awards has really finished off the year with a bang!

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to everyone who won awards at both ceremonies, and also those that didn’t. We are all on the same journey, navigating the complexities of running growing businesses, and all the challenges that come with it, and I hope my own story inspires other entrepreneurs on their own paths to success.”

Headquartered in Telford, with regional offices in Essex, Reading, Peterborough, Newport and Wakefield, Instaloft employs over 150 people nationwide, and is on track to turn over £30 million in the next three years.