A TEENAGE businessman who is one of the country's youngest entrepreneurs is hoping to break the £1 million sales barrier by forging ahead with expansion plans over the next 12 months.

The moves are also set to create 15 new jobs by the summer at his tele-marketing company in Nelson.

John Jackson, 19, is managing director of uwebsmart.com, a rapidly expanding national Internet services company, providing products for small to medium sized businesses.

Turnover is currently £100,000 a year but John hopes the expansion could push that to £1 million and over.

He started his business when he was just 13 years old and a pupil at Habergham High School in Burnley.

He said: "I started selling computer discs with a couple of friends and then when I went into the sixth form I ran my own design company."

John started uwebsmart.com last June and moved the operation into premises in Brunswick Street, Nelson, at the beginning of last month.

He currently employs five people and will be employing 15 new tele-marketing people this year.

John also hopes to open two contact centres in Manchester and Leeds by mid 2002.

The business is also looking to launch a contact solutions company called Powerspark to handle tele-marketing and customer service for third party companies and also plans to launch a sister company selling mobile phones later this year.