Motivated by the desire to create a secure environment for her son, Hilary Devey sold her house and car and raised £112,000 to start Pall-Ex Group

• Ten years later, the pallet distribution network turns over £85m. She says her motivation hasn't changed, just her perception: "Ten years ago a bad debt of £200 would have been catastrophic for me. Now we're dealing with telephone-number figures, it doesn't even reach my radar."

• She's scooped a number of awards, and still thinks of them as a big achievement. She recently won Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for Business Services. "Awards build the brand and incentivise the people that work for us, because it's about them as well," she says. "I don't perceive it as my business; it's our business."

• She's built a "can-do, will-do" business culture and gives staff ownership and accountability: "We've been quite successful in home growing a middle management structure, I'm incredibly hot on succession planning." But she still finds HR a challenge. "Finding people who will think outside of the box is a problem," she says. "They pigeonhole themselves rather than thinking with a can-do mentality."

• She's keen to pass on what she's learnt. "I love mentoring and do a lot," she says. "We're involved with a group called Champions, which mentors small businesses and also the networking group Forward Ladies, which tries to bring women into the management arena."

• Pall-Ex is recognised for its innovation—it was the first in its industry to move into a £12m purpose-built hub and the first to introduce a bespoke IT system. Devey says she always tries to have five initiatives on the table to stay ahead of her competitors. "Over a period of 12 months, two will inevitably drop off but you'll succeed with three. Every year I start with that sort of mentality. For example, we're on another build project, we're about to launch in Europe and we've secured two very large contracts."

• Being a woman in a male-dominated industry hasn't bothered her. If anything, it's been an advantage. "Transport is associated with dirty vehicles, dirty drivers, foul mouths and dirty premises. Hopefully, as a woman, I've managed to change that. We have beautiful, clean premises. All our staff wear uniforms. Housekeeping is paramount and I've managed to change the perception of transport."

• She learnt from her father that a good director balances compassion with chasing a profit. She adds: "It's paramount that you share your vision, direct from the front, speak your mind and be prepared to put your head above the parapet."