RICHARD Morrish, a retro TV and film enthusiast from Droitwich, has turned his passion into a successful business. Within a few short months of launching his own online comics and collectables store, the 38-years-old is already turning over a healthy profit and has now launched a sister site specialising in toys and games.

For years Mr Morrish worked in the retail sector by day and by night poured over classic comics and researched collectable TV and movie figurines. Having grown tired of the constraints of working for others he decided take the plunge and launch Dead Good Comics, which specialises in fully licensed film and TV memorabilia.

He said: "For as l can remember I’ve been a self-confessed geek. I’m technically minded and with my retail experience it made sense for me to go it alone and launch Dead Good Comics. I asked the Job Centre for their advice and they pointed me in the direction of Business Enterprise Support . It was through its team that I was made aware of the support that I could access from the Ready for Business programme.”

Mr Morrish was introduced to Ready for Business advisor Debbie Assinder who offered professional guidance across a wide range of areas including fine tuning his business plan, advising on the best use of marketing, reviewing finances, cash flow and sales forecasts.

Ready for Business, the investment ready start-up programme that supports new enterprises across the UK, aims to create 6,000 businesses providing 10,000 employment opportunities. The programme is supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and Barclays and is delivered by the Cavendish Consortium, a partnership between some of England’s leading enterprise agencies together with the National Enterprise Network which operates Ready for Business through a network of partner organisations in the West Midlands region.

The programme provides individuals with concentrated support in the pre-start stages of their new business including intensive enterprise training via free Get Ready for Business seminars delivered in partnership with Barclays, one-on-one help from a dedicated business advisor to explore and assess their business ideas and expert analysis into developing a business plan.

Mr Morrish added: “It has been fantastic having Debbie on hand to go to for advice and to troubleshoot any issues I may have. It can be daunting setting up a business on your own but knowing there is someone there to offer support when needed has been invaluable. Debbie has always mirrored my enthusiasm for the business which bolsters my commitment to making Dead Good Comics a success and has made the process an exciting, rather than a stressful one.”

As well as quality licensed film and TV memorabilia, Dead Good Comics also offers a selection of clothing and accessories such as wallets, wrist bands, t-shirts, bags and more – ideal for the gifting market. In addition, Dead Good Toys now provides licensed toys and games to the market, including this summer’s hottest craze – loom bands.

James Milne, Barclays area business manager for Worcestershire, said: “Stories like Richard’s are why it is so important to continue supporting start-up businesses. The free seminars that Barclays offer are just one example of how Barclays can support businesses like Dead Good Comics. No matter where you are on your business journey our wide range of support is designed to offer help.”

For further information on Dead Good Comics visit deadgoodcomics.com