The businesswoman famed for building the multi million pound Coffee Republic empire has sent a positive message to West Midlands entrepreneurs.

Sahar Hashemi was speaking at the Road to Success dinner of Connect Midlands, which helps emerging science and technology businesses to obtain finance.

Ms Hashemi said: "People often say that being an entrepreneur is all about the idea but that's not true. This is an element in the mix but it's also about making it happen.

"Sometimes it is best not to know too much about the challenges because if you did know more, you might give up."

Ms Hashemi praised the work of those who help businesses through obstacles.

"In our case, we had the idea, we didn't really appreciate all the challenges, and we just went for it. You have to focus on the vision and not the obstacles," said Ms Hashemi.

"For example, we were turned down 19 times for bank finance but we kept going and we made it in the end. After that, we raised finance from private investors before going on to the AIM market."

Ms Hashemi admits that not everyone has the determination that she had, even if they have that vital 'can do' attitude.

"Getting finance is not easy. It takes persuasion and persistence, but it is unrealistic to expect people to throw money at you.

"Structures are in place to help businesses and there are investors out there."

For Ms Hashemi, who has written a bestselling book called Anyone Can Do It, optimism and enthusiasm are key factors for entrepreneurs.

"For some, it is the willingness to leave a comfort zone of a large company or a future in academia for less certain returns," she said.

"My advice for many would be to 'go for it'. The comfort zone you are in may be an illusion and I believe that if you leap, a safety net will appear. Apart from a willingness to take risk, the other vital element is the willingness to immerse yourself in the world of the customer. I am not a great believer in market research because this is the entrepreneur's job.

"In the case of Coffee Republic, I spent many days travelling to the US and looking at the way their coffee outlets were going and just travelling around here in the UK too.

"We spotted the way the market was going here in the UK and particularly, the rapid growth of coffee as an alternative to the famous British cup of tea.

"I am not a great believer in external market research but I can't emphasise enough the need for entrepreneurs to get right under the skin of their prospective markets."

Other speakers at the Connect Midlands dinner, which was held to highlight success to date and showcase companies involved, included Norman Price, of Advantage West Midlands, Professor Stuart Palmer, of the University of Warwick and Bryan Carr, of East Midlands Development Agency.

All back the organisation financially and funding is also sourced from the European Regional Development Fund.

Connect Midlands works with science, engineering and technology entrepreneurs and companies to aid their development through the exchange of ideas and transfer of technology as well as raising investment finance.