UNDER THE RADAR:BACK IN the 1980s, Piero Tintori's father brought home a Dragon 64 personal computer for his family. But the technological treat turned a bit sour shortly afterwards.

"The problem with the Dragon 64 was the company went bust soon after my Dad bought the computer," remembers Tintori. "So it meant that really the only way to get games was to actually write them yourself."

That tinkering with a home PC sparked a love of computing which eventually led to Tintori setting up his own business, Terminalfour.

He founded the company in 1996 when he was just 18 years old, while simultaneously undertaking a degree in computer applications from Dublin City University.

"I just got itchy feet being in college. I started taking on some consultancy work as a number of computer students would do, doing little pieces of work for people," he says.

But the timing was perfect. Internet usage was just taking off in a big way and there was a demand for people with the right know-how and skills to manage this new concept.

"You are talking a pretty different landscape to what is going on now," says Tintori. "You basically had to get your hands dirty."

His big breakthrough came in 1999 when the IT manager of a health board contracted the organisation's web content management to Tintori's company.

"That's where the company changed from being a small boutique consultancy," he says.

Now Terminalfour was playing in the major league, competing for contracts in the web enterprise content management software market, while its promoter was still trying to complete his degree.

Back when mobile phones were still regarded as a bit of a luxury, particularly among cash-strapped students, Tintori had two of them as he chased down business and hammered out contracts.

"In the early days, I was juggling college and work. I was balancing going to classes, getting proposals, going over to London trying to close deals. It was stressful," he says.

In the end he transferred to an evening course, eventually graduating in 2000, when he was able to devote himself full-time to the business.

The dotcom meltdown in the following year led to the demise of many tech companies, but Tintori says that Terminalfour traded through the downturn largely unscathed.

"We worked hard. We got the fundamentals right. We had customers, we had good recurring income and we weren't exposed in terms of having private jets and offices with marble floors. We kept the costs low and worked through it. We actually made a profit in those years."

Not only did it make a profit, the company succeeded in raising cash when most venture capitalists and investors had abandoned the sector. The company raised more than €300,000 from the Davy BES fund to upgrade its offering and enter the UK market.

"Prior to the bubble it was incredibly competitive in Ireland in relation to content management," says Tintori. "When we started to enter the UK market we actually realised our product was as good if not better than the products in the UK."

Since then, the company has built up a considerable customer base in the UK and the Middle East, as well as in its home market, providing web content management services to private enterprise, government and education clients and is now turning over in the region of €1.5-€4 million annually.

Recently, the company announced a €3 million investment, drawn from retained profits and some private investment, to support its international growth which will include entrance to new markets in Europe, the Middle East and particularly the US. "That was something that originally wasn't on our business plan, but the number of inbound enquires has really woken us up to taking a look at the US market more seriously," says Tintori.

As a result, the company, which currently employs 22 people, is looking to recruit 20 new Irish-based employees over the next two years, which Tintori says could be the company's biggest hurdle.

"The biggest problem we have at the moment isn't the financing, even in this credit crunch market," he says. "Getting good quality people in is our biggest challenge."

Despite the stress of starting a business at such a young age, Tintori says there have been many pluses over the years.

"In the first few years, you're putting in horrible hours," he says. "The thing that gets you going is the adrenalin - seeing customers really happy with your solution and with the service you are providing."

On the record

Name:Piero Tintori
Age:30
From:Glasnevin in Dublin
Education:Belvedere College, then computer applications in DCU
Family:Single
Admires:Richard Branson
Most likes:"Outdoor activities - hiking, sailing. I like good wine and food as well"