Ron Godfrey meets Peter Harrington, creator of a made-in-York business computer game whose huge global success has lessons in the real business world.

FOR York entrepreneur Peter Harrington there is a serious flaw in the Government’s strategy to revive Britain’s economy by encouraging new businesses.

He warns if new ventures are to lead that revival “they should be equipped with critical business skills and a focused understanding of what works and what doesn’t”.

Mr Harrington would say that, wouldn’t he? Could this just be a marketing ploy to publicise his invention, SimVenture, the computer business game which is sweeping the world?

No, says Mr Harrington. The very point he is trying to make is that his product was so well-researched before he and his computer genius brother, Paul, developed it, that after an initial marketing push, it literally continues to sell itself. Buyers do the marketing for him.

The lesson he said he had learned after 20 years growing and creating companies and helping new entrepreneurs to do the same was simple: “New products are great, but if no one wants to buy them they are a waste of time.

“SimVenture took four years of research and development before we were able to create a product which education authorities and people would find a need for, like and want. My advice to start-ups is – go for what people want, not what you want to make or provide.”

The software, which has earned the title Post-16 Education and Training Resource of the Year, is the equivalent of a simulated cockpit for a rookie pilot.

No matter how badly the user performs when it comes to choosing the myriad options available for their simulated venture, they have the certainty that after the crash and burn, they can start all over again, a lot wiser but none the poorer.

The refined idea was so attractive that SimVenture is now being used by students in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Kenya, the US, Mexico, Canada and most European countries. In the UK alone it is used by more than 250 schools, colleges and universities – and counting.

Because it was such a good, well-researched idea, word of mouth has taken over from marketing. “Just yesterday I had a flurry of overnight email orders, some of them expected, but also unsolicited orders from, for instance, Strathclyde University, the Stockholm Centre for Entrepreneurship and the University of Northampton.

“That only happens when you have a product that works and for which the price is right. These are basics that new venturers have to learn before they can make the government’s strategy work.”