A Cheltenham man has seen his bedroom start-up achieve a six-figure turnover and has now opened his first premises.

Luke Manton, founder of virtual PA providers Manton Executives, has opened the business's first permanent premises at Space Business Centre in Cheltenham and welcomed two permanent team members as part of ongoing expansion.

Luke, who is 30, suffered brain damage and was diagnosed with Adult-Onset Tourette's Syndrome in 2018. After a year-long job search proved unsuccessful, he decided to put his marketing and events experience to use and launched Manton Executives in 2020.

The business provides ad-hoc support with a range of online business tasks, from email and calendar management to video conferencing support and social media brand building, operating as a virtual PA from an hour per day.

Now the business has a three-month waiting list for its services, which Luke and his team provide to businesses of all sizes, as well as social media influencers and entrepreneurs.

Luke Manton said: "It's been a rollercoaster couple of years for the business from the uncertainty of setting up, dealing with lockdown, building a client base to now expanding and having our first premises. It's another huge milestone for us, after achieving six-figure turnover this summer.

"It was a tough time for me before I set up the business. I had faced a lot of rejection and had put that down to my Tourette's, so setting up on my own and then being successful has been a really positive experience, if challenging at times.

"I used to work on this site, and when I heard there was a unit available here, we reached out on a Wednesday and had signed for it on the Friday."

Lucy Iles, site manager at Space Gloucester and Cheltenham, said: "Luke and his team are a fantastic addition to the Space business community. The growth that Luke has overseen over the last couple of years is incredible, and we are thrilled to be playing a part in the next phase of his growth."