Rotherham couple launch auction website

Fiancées Chris Foulstone and Natalie Anginotti, from Treeton, are bidding to become the next big names in “dot com” entrepreneurship after setting up a Rotherham-based lowest unique auction site, BidBudgie.co.uk. 

Chris, a former quantity surveyor, struggled as work in the South Yorkshire construction industry dried up in the post-recession downturn.

But instead of being set back by the financial gloom, Chris took advantage and took the entrepreneurial plunge, turning his business dream into reality.

BidBudgie.co.uk users must submit the lowest unique bid to win a host of top items from laptops and iPhones to electrical hair products and TVs.

And in a heartfelt bid to give something back to local good causes, five per cent of all profits will donated to a string of charities.

Chris said: "My friends and colleagues in the construction industry have been struggling to find work for months.

“I had been self-employed, but the global downturn has affected construction badly.

“The project I'd been working on came to a natural end and there was no fresh work on the horizon. I knew I had to make a change.

"That's when my partner Natalie and I came up with the BidBudgie concept.

We'd played on other similar websites in the past and found them to be unfair towards their members.

"But we decided we could reinvent the concept by making our site very fair and keeping everything very simple, so everyone can play, regardless of computer skills. After months of planning, we're ecstatic to see our vision finally take flight."

Chris' partner, Natalie, is a former care worker who, like Chris has no previous experience of running her own business.

She said: "The idea of the website is something that we have been discussing for some time, but we were still nervous about taking the leap from a more secure income.

"We've put everything into this business, in terms of time, effort and finance.

“To put it bluntly, the risks for us on a personal level are immense, but we believe in the business 100 per cent and will continue to strive towards our goals each and every day.

"Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. From personal experience, vision, passion and sound morals have all been a vital part of getting this far.

"Now, our big goal is to grow our business to become the latest in a long line of successful online entrepreneurs and a real Rotherham success story."

For more information, or to register, including £2 free credit, visit www.bidbudgie.co.uk.