Entrepreneurship news: Hazel Cushion, from Pembrokeshire, has won several business accolades since founding Access Press, which has an annual turnover of £500,000, in 2003.
She is now in the final three of the extraordinary entrepreneur category at the Extraordinary Women Awards 2011.The ceremony is being held in Nottingham on Tuesday.
Ms Cushion, whose company is now based in Bedlinog near Merthyr Tydfil, has created a number of opportunities for authors, graduates, designers and sales people.
Her achievements have included developing a range of fundraising books, such as a Help for Heroes cook book which raised £50,000 for the charity, as well as the Sexy Shorts series, which benefited cancer charities. In February 2007, Ms Cushion was invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace at a reception for 200 women in business.
"In seven years, Hazel has developed a front bedroom dream into Accent Press, an international publishing company with a half million annual turnover," says author Lesley Cookman, who nominated her for the award. "We met as mature students doing an MA in creative writing in 2006 when her triplets were six [years old]. more