More and more girls are getting on their bikes. That's the message from Alison Grade, the brains behind the all-female scooter and motorcycle training company Girls Angels.
Alison Grade: "It's a thrill to see people come back with their certificate and a huge smile on their faces."

In spite of her pedigree (she is the daughter of media mogul Michael Grade and Lady Penny Hastings, now the wife of Sir Max Hastings),
Ms Grade, 32, gave up a career in television production and media management to start her own business.

"I am much more comfortable in a small company environment," she explains, "and running my own business gives me the chance to use my creativity".

"The idea of Girls Angels came to me as a result of my own experience trying to get on two wheels. I had just finished a course at Insead, the French business school, and realised that if I was going to get a job in London I either had to move house or get a motorbike. I couldn't face getting on the Tube every day."

The bike won, but Ms Grade found that neither the buying process nor the training were particularly female-friendly. "I felt that a lot more women would probably like to get on bikes if they had access to a better service."
She is not a qualified instructor, so to gain Driving Standards Agency approval she had to find someone who was. An advertisement in Motor Cycle News brought an enthusiastic application from Heidi Bailey, who is now the company's chief instructor.

Equally important were the bikes and all the equipment to go with them. "We bought a variety of bikes for all the different courses we offer, including four scooters, two geared bikes and four 'big' bikes. We went for Hondas, because they were able to supply the full range," Ms Grade says. "We've also bought a couple of grey imports from Japan, because the bikes there tend to be lower. We also had to buy clothing, equipment, locks and that sort of thing."
Ms Grade put in about £22,000 of her own money, but was able to buy the bikes on hire purchase. "Our local dealer has been very supportive of us and has been good enough to sponsor us with an instructor bike." Italian motorcycle apparel maker Dainese also provided sponsorship, supplying full sets of leathers for Ms Grade and Ms Bailey.

Girls Angels' clients can be seen whizzing round south-west London in shocking pink safety vests. They can choose from a variety of courses, ranging from the one-day compulsory basic training (CBT), which entitles them to ride machines up to 125cc, to six-day intensive programmes if they want to go for a full licence.

"It's really a thrill to see people come back with their CBT certificate and a huge smile on their faces," says Ms Grade. "Lots of people start off on scooters and find that as their skills improve, they want to move on to something bigger and faster."

So who are typical customers? "We are catering very much for the working professional, and we have very flexible hours to try to fit around their work schedule. Our aim is to spread the word that women can go out and get on two wheels and that there is a nice female-friendly place to do that." Ms Grade's parents have given her encouragement in her venture and her mother is even learning to ride a scooter.

While her four instructors have been busy on the road with clients, Ms Grade has been free to work on the business plan. The company's turnover was about £50,000 in first nine months.

She says the business is very seasonal: there is far less enthusiasm for biking in the winter months, so it will be spring before the company makes its next leap forward. "We intend to expand to other metropolitan areas in the UK through franchising, and are already talking to a site outside London about setting up there next season. We also intend to expand further within central London."

Hell's Angels look out, Girls Angels are about.