James Murray Wells has come a long way in the past few years. From the University of the West of England to highflying internet businessman and Entrepreneur of the Year. His company Glassesdirect, which provides cut-price prescription glasses, has rocked the high street, and the company is now set for major UK and International expansion. Jamie has become a regular contributor to national newspapers and television and writes a monthly column for a leading business magazine for entrepreneurs. He is also an ambassador for National Enterprise Week and a member of Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's New Enterprise Council.

James Murray Wells has come a long way in the past few years. From the University of the West of England to highflying internet businessman and Entrepreneur of the Year. His company Glassesdirect, which provides cut-price prescription glasses, has rocked the high street, and the company is now set for major UK and International expansion. Jamie has become a regular contributor to national newspapers and television and writes a monthly column for a leading business magazine for entrepreneurs. He is also an ambassador for National Enterprise Week and a member of Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's New Enterprise Council.

James Murray Wells initially came up with the idea for the business when he had to pay £150 for a pair of reading glasses. He was met with a wall of silence from everyone across the optical industry when he tried to research the actual cost of making glasses. Each laboratory he called would not disclose any information on prices or supply.

On the brink of giving up on the idea, he called one more laboratory and got the information he needed. James uncovered the costs involved were just five to seven pounds per pair. But that was just the start. Suppliers were equally reticent, and even when one was secured it withdrew its services only a matter of weeks after he launched Glassesdirect, forcing James to meet costs for a new website, brochure and legal fees. This could have driven the company into the ground, but James recognized that the industry opposition was based entirely on its price protectionism, and he was spurred to take them on.

On 1st July 2004, at the age of 21, and with no formal business training, James launched Glassesdirect.co.uk into an industry dominated by four major optical chains.

Conceived as an idea while he was at University, and launched in the front room of his parent's house, Glassesdirect entered the market with the aim of providing cut-price prescription glasses over the internet.

Because it was a new idea the optical industry said it wouldn't work, but today Glassesdirect is the largest direct-seller of glasses in the world, selling a pair every seven minutes around the clock, with a multi million pound turnover, and the company is forecasting sales north of £10m by 2008. The company has also just completed a significant $6million investment deal through Venture Capitalists and the headquarters of the business have been visited by three international CEOs and Chairmen of global optical chains within the past year. Talks are underway for a worldwide brand rollout and the possibility of a glassesdirect.com USA operation is being mooted.

James has expressed a strong interest in Web 2.0 and disruptive technologies and business models. He took part in organising a Flash Crowd event as part of the taper relief campaign, and his website Idea Volcano is designed to promote collaborative open source problem solving between entrepreneurs.