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Success stories

We've already helped tens of thousands of individuals to start and grow their business. Learn how with our library of success stories.

We've already helped tens of thousands of individuals to start and grow their business. Read on for the full story on some of our most inspiring loan recipients: why they became their own boss, the challenges they faced and overcame along the way and how a Start Up Loan helped them to achieve their dreams.

 

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Start Up Loans

Vocus Vit

Vocus Vit offers premium activewear for ladies with a focus on sustainability. The range is made from recycled plastic bottles without compromising on comfort, fit and style. It’s founded by Omagh entrepreneur Sarah-Jane Murray. Sarah-Jane took out a loan of £10,000 to help fulfil her dream of launching sustainable activewear business.

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Panther M*lk

Panther M*lk – an oat milk alcoholic cocktail brand based in Glasgow. The drinks business recently secured its first major retail listing, with bottles of the cocktail now stocked in 40 of Asda’s supermarkets across Scotland. Following an appearance on Dragon’s Den in 2022, Paul Crawford received a £17,500 loan through the Start Up Loans scheme to support his ambitious growth plans.

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Feral Pigs Wine

Feral Pigs Wine is a wine shop in Newport, Pembrokeshire and established by trained sommelier and former restaurant manager at Llys Meddyg, Dave Cushley.

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Clip Knix

Funmi Lalwal, 55, London originally came to Start Up Loans back in 2013 to help her set up a business teaching the elderly learn Microsoft skills. She created Clip Knix, a brand offering adapted fastening underwear for women in 2018 to solve a problem that she had noticed after suffering from ill health.

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Dryad

Matt, a triathlete, outdoors-enthusiast, and Joby, a designer with a passion for running, took out a loan of £25,000 in April 2021 to launch Dryad, an outdoor sportswear company for women based in Wales.

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Aberffraw Biscuits

James Shepherd started his business, Aberffraw Biscuits, with the help of a £5,000 Start Up Loan.

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Mama Claudia

In 2018, Claudia took out a loan of £3,300 to launch Mama Claudia, a carefully selected range of baby and children’s products for stress-free parenting.

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Pastéis Lisboa

In April 2022, Emma and Sebastian took out a loan of £20,000 each to set up Pastéis Lisboa, Scotland’s first specialist Pastel de Nata bakery, in the heart of Glasgow’s buzzing West End.

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Toddle Born Wild

Hannah Saunders took out a £14,700 loan in 2020 to launch Toddle Born Wild, a natural vegan children skincare brand.

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Amandla Ubuntu

Having previously held a position as a C-Level Executive in an education charity, and a handful of global leadership positions at big corporates such as Amazon and Marriott, Victoria realised she needed to do something more fulfilling

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Lady Survivors

Melanie Luxton Brookes took out a £15,000 loan in September 2020 to launch her affordable range of swimwear brand Lady Survivors specifically designed for women with mastectomies.

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Urbee

Cherisse Brown took out a £10,000 loan to launch Urbee, an e-shop aiming to raise awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinating insects and the need for their conservation.

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Icarus Originals

Alan Lock and business partner John Mercer took out a loan of £15,000 in February 2020 to support the growth of Icarus Originals, a company founded on the premise of giving decommissioned aircraft a new life by turning them into bespoke, handmade jewellery and accessories – making memories out of icons.

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Pip & Henry

Jeroo Doodmal secured a £15,000 loan in December 2021 to launch her sustainable Children’s footwear brand Pip & Henry, having noticed a gap in the market for sustainable, organic, and fair-trade children’s footwear options.

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Booheads

Ben Caspary launched Booheads in November 2020. His company makes sustainably made and biodegradable bamboo toothbrush heads for consumers seeking an alternative to the disposable plastic versions that end up in landfills.

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Big Hair + Beauty

Melissa Sinclair took out a Start Up Loan to open Big Hair + Beauty, a natural haircare brand for afro and curly hair.

Start Up Loans

House of Curls

Start Up Loans recipient Clare Pledger, from Cardiff-based firm, House of Curls, an e-tailer specialising in curly and natural hair products, who received a £20,000 Start Up Loan via Business in Focus said: “I discovered the incredibly passionate curly hair community...