IF success in business depends on being in the right place at the right time, then John Reed is heading for big things as his embryo company puts down its roots in Kidderminster.

He started it last June, when he saw the future need of people with the skills to make the Government's new HIPS information packs scheme work.

HIPS, as it is known, is the requirement to furnish a report when selling your house. Part of the deal is to include an Energy Perform-ance Certificate, detailing how efficient your home is and the size of the carbon footprint it imposes on the world. The packs will be compulsory for house sellers from June 1.

John's company, TutisOn Line.com, is intended to produce both quickly and at a competitive cost.

Now, with a view to expanding his business and creating more jobs in the Wyre Forest district, he has entered the Business Idol Competition being run by the Kidderminster Big Breakfast Club in association with the Shuttle/Times & News.

The aim of the competition is to find the most enterprising and imaginative business people in the Wyre Forest area. There is a £1,000 cash prize for the winner and he or she will be offered over £2,500 worth of free business advice by members of the Big Breakfast Club.

Mr Reed said: "I compliment the club on its initiative. It is good to see the local business community coming together in this way. I would like to win because the £1,000 would be useful and I feel the advice I would get from the club members would help me to grow my business as demand increases."

John's career has taken many twists and turns, from gas man to teacher of business studies, to risk assessment in the security world. In his 40s, he took the courageous step of going to university to take a BA degree.

"Now I work mainly for estate agents," he said.

"Although demand is growing, I don't have enough work locally to earn a living and I'm doing quite a lot in the London area. But I see the day when I'll be full-time in the Wyre Forest area and taking on staff locally."

For now, his office is at home in Shaw Avenue, Kidderminster. In assessing a dwelling, he takes all sorts of considerations into account - the age of the property, type of construction, lagging in the loft, windows, heating and lighting arrangements.

"The use of low energy light bulbs is also looked at - though this can be complex because these bulbs give off less heat and so the house needs more energy to warm it up," he said.