Success stories

Lara Sengupta is the founder and owner of CorkYogis, a right corker of a social enterprise. Situated just off the renowned Lordship Lane in East Dulwich, they make and sell as the name would suggest – yoga mats made out of cork.

Inga Irvine opened her art gallery, North 55 Falmouth, with the help of a £6,500 Start up Loan.

Emma Evelyn Stone worked as a Transport Secretary before deciding to return to university and study a science degree.

Rumbi Serima-Fowler started her business Mimi’s Organics in 2014 after struggling to find products to suit the skin of her son, who suffers from numerous allergies.

Providing two state of the art i-sopods, a therapy room, quiet room and space for yoga and pilates, Floating Point Float Centre is Berkshire’s only dedicated floatation therapy centre.

Kerry-Ann Graham decided to set up her business, Gabby’s World; a business whose founding principle is encouraging diversity and equality through play; where values, social norms are learnt and reinforced.

Goji Hair is an exclusive, organic hair salon in the Pontcanna suburb of Cardiff, started by Victoria Griffin.

Oliver Bridge is a remarkable man who started off working for an innovation consultancy company and managed to have his own business at the age of 15.

Niall Greenan, CEO of Greenans Products, was inspired to set up his business based on an innovative idea initially designed to help his arthritic mother fill a coal bucket from a coal bunker.

Former steelworker Mark Fairley has launched his own traditional American BBQ business in a bright yellow high school bus.

Ellie Stickland studied Jewellery design at Central Saint Martins, and worked in the industry for a number of years as well as a stint in the finance industry which then propelled her to setting up on her own in January 2013.

Upon returning to his childhood home of Nottingham Matt Hinton, having developed a strong passion in real ale and all things hoppy soon discovered that unlike Sheffield, where he had moved from, there was a real gap in the market for a serious beer retailer.

Shocked at the amount of unnecessary sugar found in most breakfast spreads, mother of two Kellie Bath knew she wanted something healthier for her young children.

After working in the pub industry for 10 years Peter Gardner saw the company he worked for go under and he lost his job. Deciding to start over he taught himself how to make chocolate online and set up his first storeand with the support of £10,000 from the Start Up Loans Company – Cocoa Amore was born.

After travelling from war torn Syria with her husband and three children Razan Al-Sous settled in Huddersfield, a far cry from her former home of Damascus.

Jacqueline Moran, a mum and entrepreneur based in Wirral, used her Start Up Loan to set up The Sewing Room, which offers expert clothes fitting and alterations.

Chappuccino is a café in the heart of Chapeltown, Sheffield, run by Olivia Fisher and her mum, Claire.

Having been made redundant after working with the Princes Trust for many years Christopher Evans decided to go it alone and start his own business venture.