If estate agent Jenny Cobb has learnt one thing about enterprise, it's the value of sticking to your guns

It's fair to say that estate agents suffer from a bit of a reputation problem—we all know how far some will go to make a sale. Which is why Jenny Cobb decided to set up her own agency, Daniel Cobb, in 1994, despite the preponderance of established firms in the UK.

She says she wanted to run an agency with integrity: "I think it's important that the industry is regulated. We get a lot of bad press, but that's because there are a few bad agents. The majority of us are good. The government should listen to calls for the industry to be licensed by an independent body."

She says if she's learnt one thing in the 13 years that she's been trading, it's to concentrate on your main objective. What she really wanted to do was build a solid reputation: "When I started I was very hands-on and the market conditions were tough. I did everything myself, so I know the pressures involved. It's important to not lose sight of what you want to achieve. Running a small business, with all the regulation and so on, makes it difficult to concentrate. But I've built a good team to help me. We do things together and look after one another, because it's a stressful industry to be in."