AS a keen motorcyclist, George Barron thought he’d found the perfect way to earn a living while enjoying his passion for two wheels.

A motorcycle courier in London, he was responsible for ensuring deliveries, including emergency medical supplies, reached their recipients on time.

But it didn’t quite go to plan.

While on his bike, he had to face, and endure, the dangers of the capital’s packed streets.

For a man used to track days around Croft, where he can open up his bike to its adrenalin-fuelled limits, being a courier offered a somewhat different experience.

He said: “It was a fill-in job really, while the IT sector overcame a bit of a recession.

“What it showed me was just how hard those people work for their money.

“It was dangerous and probably the one thing I’ve not enjoyed doing on my bike, though it did sharpen up my skills somewhat.”

Now safely away from London’s traffic, Mr Barron is spearheading another venture.

He’s the founder of Unified Software, based at Rainton Bridge South Business Park, near Houghton-le-Spring.

From delivering goods to companies on his bike, he now ensuring they are well served in another way.

Unified provides software that allows firms to eradicate errors to improve the accuracy of electronic payments.

Developed after Mr Barron, a former freelance programmer, worked on a prototype for a client, the company now has a stellar list of customers and products.

From JP Morgan to BT, Tesco and insurer Hastings Direct, the business has gained repute, which extends into Europe and the US.

Its products include BankPay, which allows the processing of direct debits and direct credits, and BankVal UK, which validates UK bank sort codes, account numbers and credit card numbers.

He said: “We timed our entry into the market very well, it was just at the point when this web service technology was starting to emerge.

“We are established now and big businesses are happy to use us.

“It’s like everything else, once you get a start it snowballs and after we got couple of businesses more followed quickly.

“We are a cog in the machine; we are very deep in there but are an essential function.”

The company employs six people, though Mr Barron says two further members of staff could be brought in to support operations, as Unified rolls out new services.

He said it has been working on new features, which will allow it to offer an even better system for companies to manage their banking.

That should be launched shortly, and it could be that the products go abroad too.

He added: “We have spent the last few years working on this and it simplifies operations for businesses.

“That will be in the UK but we have customers in Europe and the US, so we will look at ways to leverage some of it overseas too.”