Success stories

Natalie Press is the founder of Woof The Yorkshire Dog Shop (Woof), which sells a wide range of organic, grain-free and sustainable pet products.

Learn how Brigitte Dove started their business Turn Your Business Round with help from a loan from Start Up Loans.

Amity Brew Co is a local craft brewery, offering a range of draught and canned beers. They provide tours of the brewery, an outside terrace, inside bar and weekly events for the community. They also have their own merch for sale. The three directors took out their loans in April 2020, at £25,000 each.

The Singing Spice Company took out their loan of £6,000 in February 2023. The company aims to take the stress out of cooking by creating packs of spice blends that are hand blended to family recipes going back three generations.

With businesses continuing to launch during the pandemic, small firms such as D&K Accounting are well placed to offer a more personal accounting service to rural businesses looking to get established.

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.

Chantal Charles-Smith took out a £25,000 loan in April 2021 to launch Laughing Llama Coffee and Bistro, a family-friendly destination in York.

Love & Love is a recipient of the Start Up Loans programme. Founded by Manuela Montenegro Moreira Baraad and based in Leeds, it received a loan of £15,000 in January 2020. The company manufactures and sells unique, high-quality, vegan handbags. Its products are aimed at females looking for style, sustainability and empowerment when shopping for cruelty-free fashion.

Jane Palmer, 53, took out a £25,000 Start Up Loan in 2015 to launch Celebrating Curves, a bridal wear business for plus-size brides based in Sheffield.

Elphius Flux is an upcycling business, specialising in industrial and modern furniture. Based in Chesterfield, Jason and Gwen Hopkinson create bespoke, custom-made furniture from salvaged and reclaimed materials.

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

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.

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

The company provides bespoke driver guided tours of Yorkshire. We caught up with him to find out what the first year of trading has been like.

Tony Singh was unemployed before starting his own business, Caffe Venecia, in the centre of Huddersfield in November 2013.