THEY were firms teetering on the brink of disaster yet, miraculously, turned their misfortunes into triumph.

AVQ Ltd, audio-visual systems integrators of York, and commercial recruitment agency Davies Recruitment, of Malton, were once struggling, yet now have scooped major accolades in the Action International awards at a ceremony in the Hilton Hotel, Stansted.

Both were among 30 companies nominated for the "turnaround" awards sponsored by HSBC Bank. All achieved success with the help of regular business coaching from Action International's network of 35 coaches operating in eight counties, including Yorkshire.

The Action International marketing award went to AVQ Ltd, which is based at the Bull Commercial Centre in Stockton Lane, York, a firm which installs video projection equipment for universities, company boardrooms and training rooms.

By last summer, the venture, consisting of Phil Brunton, Richard McAuley and his father, Geoff McAuley, was in Phil's words "on the brink of closure".

A "very proud" Phil said: "It had a boom and bust turnover, seasonal lows and we were spending up to 90 per cent of our time working in, rather than on the business. We were stressed, exhausted and directionless.

"The trouble was that we were good technicians without formal business training."

After coaching from Chris Fordy, of Harrogate Action International, things dramatically changed. They doubled turnover to about £750,000, invested in understanding their advertising requirements, systemised the business and management systems, and gained support from the bank.

The eight-person team also dealt with several contracts simultaneously, rather than concentrating on one contract at a time. Their strategic marketing meant that the organisation now had no seasonal lows.

It went from the verge of closure into profit and, at the same time, became one of the first in the UK to receive a gold standard Certified Audiovisual Solution Provider on the basis of its tested technical skills.

Husband-and-wife team Chris and Louise Davies, of Davies Recruitment, Castlegate, Malton, earned the Action International financial award.

The couple had begun to struggle to break even on their business, which specialises in office-based recruitment, from administrative, secretarial and reception to qualified accountants and marketing and sales managers.

"We were bumbling along," said Chris. "Both of us came from the recruitment sector, but we had never run a business before. We were working 70 hours plus per week and were stressed out and constantly worried about money. One month would be great, another month quiet. It was stop-start."

Chris Fordy, of Action International, helped them to understand how to get the best out of their three staff, how to strategise and prioritise, market, test and measure their advertising.

As a result, Davies Recruitment's turnover went from about £70,000 to as much as £160,000 and profits have soared by 400 per cent.

"Now we plan to take a holiday knowing that the business will survive without us," said Chris.