When the venture capitalists switch to chasing start-ups, it's often a good sign there's money to be made. But Mitesh Soma's online pharmacy, Chemist Direct, which he runs with his wife Krishna, is growing so quickly he doesn't feel the need for outside investment, yet.

The business has turned over £1m since its launch late last year and the retailer is already generating a profit, an achievement that was not written into Soma's original business plan. "All of a sudden the orders shoot up and it's hard to cope," he says. "We've been relying on friends and family, and a few late nights, just to get the orders out."

A combination of keen prices, supported by high volume and a low cost-base and "discretion", which Soma says you can't always get from a high-street chemist, should keep the firm on track for revenues of £5m in its first full year. "People are embarrassed to go in and buy certain items from their local chemist. Through us it can be anonymous to a certain extent."

Those keen prices have also ruffled a few feathers. Soma says his business is an attack on the "vast mark-ups" charged by his high-street competitors. "We sell hundreds of hay fever tablets every day, which you could never do at a local chemist."

As a former management consultant with Deloitte, Soma says: "I now don't have time for all the woolly stuff you do in consulting. When you run your own business you are directly impacted by the decisions you make. As a consultant, you advise on theories, but you are not actually accountable. With this you see the impact, and live with the consequences."