Yellowknife (Aug 27/03) - With a catchy poem on their flyer, a jingle on the radio, and a title like Man in the Van, two entrepreneurs can smell success.

Jeff Horn calls himself the Man in the Van, and his wife Patricia is the Woman in the Office.

With Jeff on the road, and Patricia in their home office, the local couple launched a delivery service in Yellowknife this summer.

They are excited and brimming with ideas, just like most small business owners.

The couple have received nothing but support since coming up with their business idea during a long winter.

"When we pitched it to the right people, they supported us," says Jeff.

After suffering a couple of moves without a car, the two realized that moving services are expensive and time-consuming. It took Patricia, who specializes in administration, a month to polish a business plan to pitch to creditors.

With loans from the Youth Entrepreneur Program, Business Development Bank of Canada, and various grants, Man in the Van opened July 24. The concept is simple, says Patricia, who deals with the paperwork. From drive-thru, to beer, to futons, Jeff will hop in his 1998 Windstar and deliver it for you.

With a dozen calls so far, the exuberant couple believe their idea is filling a hole in the local job market.

Admitting to a few prank calls, Jeff says "somebody asked me about transporting bodies once."

Needless to say, he won't transport bodies, animal or human.

Control over his work environment is a bonus in his new career. Jeff's asthma limited his choice of workplaces in the past, causing him to move from job to job.

"I feel better working directly for ourselves, than somebody else," he says, but "it takes a lot of research and a lot of work."

Patricia is brimming with ideas. With 11 years of administration experience, she hopes to add office services to the business soon.

With two children under three-years-old, the couple have chosen a busy lifestyle.

They love Yellowknife and are excited to be providing a service they think is needed.