Stuart Barr should be the poster boy for a generation of young people who leave school at 16. He is proof positive that you do not need A-Levels and a university education to get on in life.

After taking a National Diploma in Furniture Design at Rycote Wood College in Thame, Mr Barr started working on building sites as a carpenter.

In 2003, he set up his own building construction and renovation company. Aged 29, he now employs 35 staff and has been expanding steadily through the recession.

So what is the secret of his success?

He said: “Working with the customer and the architect, as opposed to doing it how you think. Experience is key, but it’s also working as a team.”

Then there is the fact that he will take on anything.

“We do jobs from hanging a door to fitting kitchens, from landscaping to a complete renovation or new build. We’re not up to the stage where we’re doing developments yet. In time, yes, but I’d rather walk than run.”

Recognising that he does not know everything, he has surrounded himself with a good team.

“I had never run a business before and didn’t know what to do,” he said with a refreshing honesty.

“I’ve got a great surveyor who works for me and gives me direction. I learn by mistakes and listen to people, taking advice, training and courses; anything I can.”

For each major project, he employs a contractor who makes day-to-day decisions on site, although he is responsible for overall decisions.

He added: “I use people who are enthusiastic and enjoy their work. They’re there because they want to work, as opposed to being there because they feel they have to work. That’s the most important thing.”

To keep them employed, he expects his staff to be versatile.

“Some days they might be doing another trade, but they like it, because sometimes being in the same job, day in day out, can be a bit repetitive.”

He puts his entrepreneurial spirit down to the fact that his father died when he was 18.

“He was very successful and he has always been one of the things that has led me on. Both of my brothers run their own businesses as well.

“We’ve always thought about the same sort of things to make him proud of us.”

Does he find that his age is held against him?

“I always think it will hinder, but it doesn’t tend to,” he said.

He finds his enthusiasm wins people over and they look beyond his age.

“They look at the jobs that we’ve done and the contracts.”

Recognising the growing interest in sustainable building, he took several courses at the Centre of Alternative Technology in Wales and set up EcoBarr.

That led directly to the National Trust becoming one of his clients, and he has worked in several of their properties, including Basildon Park and Cliveden, ‘greening’ their properties through secondary glazing and sheep’s wool insulation.

He would like to grow that side of the business.

“It’s down to cost at the end of the day and not everyone can afford it, even though ten years down the line, they’ll be getting their money back.”

The only advertising he does is via sponsorship of Thame Football Club, with whom he plays. About 90 per cent of his work comes from previous customers, or by referral.

“We’ve got five architects that we do work for on a rolling basis,” he said.

The firm also works consistently for kitchen suppliers Howden’s, while its sister company Barr Joinery also designs and build kitchens.

One of the firm’s latest projects is renovating a semi-derelict chapel on Ferry Road in Marston for the Russian Orthodox Church, which bought it last year.

Built in 1911, it was a daughter chapel to St Nicholas Church in Marston; eventually superseded by a new parish. Over the years, the chapel has been used as storage, a tyre depot and by a signwriter’s firm. It will eventually re-open as the Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Mr Barr was asked to tender because the owners had seen what his company could do.

“There was about a three-week turnaround from them asking us to do it, to us actually starting, which didn’t give us much time to be prepared. But we did it,” he said.

As well as bringing the building up to 21st century standard, Stuart Barr will be providing the fixtures and fittings inside the church.

“It’s not every day you get to work on a building that’s going to be a church and it’s a really interesting job,” he said.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Mr Barr’s success in the recession is his positive attitude.

“I think if you want to do well and put your mind to it, you can do anything. It’s about just being interested and wanting to do it properly.

“I would rather do a fantastic job than earn that extra buck, because I would know it has been done properly.”