Since it was founded in 1770, seven generations of Weatherbys have worked for the family business. Now a private company, but still owned by the Weatherby family, it has diversified so much over the years that various companies have been created to move the business forward. It provides British horseracing with its central administration (Weatherbys Ventures), acts as its clearing banker (Weatherbys Bank), and maintains the register of racehorse breeding in Britain and Ireland (Weatherbys Thoroughbred).

So what's it like working for a family-run company steeped in history? According to Nick Craven, chief executive of Weatherbys Ventures, when he sits in the boardroom he can feel the eyes of the family's ancestors "drilling into the back of my head" from their portraits. But he says he is also made to feel "part of the family". He enjoys his hands-on role and says he works well with chairman Johnny Weatherby. "He doesn't sit in an ivory tower. It's more a partnership than anything else. He'll be nudging me most days-he's an executive chair."

Based in Northamptonshire, "bang in the centre of England", Craven says it has been important to "keep the business moving along" through diversification. "We're not the biggest business, but we're not just a niche business either," he says. "We work in a big, big industry so there's a trade off between our family firm's history, reputation and integrity as a brand and being cutting-edge and competitive. It's about finding a balance."

Although Craven says the business "isn't completely driven by profit-we won't ruin the company name for one big deal"-he says the firm is seeking to grow to new levels. "We're looking for new opportunities that will suit us best." For instance, Weatherbys Ventures prints around four million Racecards for 57 racecourses. "So it's not illogical to go into other sports, such as rugby and cricket," he says.