Our impact: Celebrating the success of our Start Up Loan clients
Since the launch of Let’s Do Business Finance over 20 years ago (originally called Capitalise Business Support) as the finance arm of Let’s Do Business Group, one of our key aims and motivations as an organisation has been to make real change to people and their communities. Today, we are recognised Responsible Finance providers and a leading provider of business advice, business loans, access to other finance, training, and business events across the South East and East of England.
A key way in which we do this is our support of pre-start and newly launched businesses, by offering free professional advice and mentoring, as well as providing affordable finance options to people who might be turned away by traditional lenders.
As a national provider of the Government and British Business Bank Start Up Loans Company, we’ve been able to provide access to start up businesses all over the UK to finance to kick-start their business, with majority of our work taking place in the South and East of England, including London, Sussex, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk, Kent and Essex.
Despite years of uncertainty in the UK economy and feeling the impact in our towns, entrepreneurship has persevered – and from September 2012 to March 2022, our team delivered 5091 Start Up Loans with a value of £29,475,383 – giving many people in the UK the help and chance they needed turn their idea into a thriving business.
We followed up on some of our previous Start Up Loan clients to see how their business ventures were going:
Babel’s Coffee House & Wine Bar
Babel’s Coffee House and Wine Bar has become a night and daytime staple for Hastings Old Town, and was shortlisted for the SME Business Awards in May 2022, just short of a year after opening their doors in summer of 2021.
Owners Amy and Ben had dreamed of creating their own bar, and fast forward to 2022, serving their tasty cocktails and platters, the pair have taken Hastings’ George Street by storm since opening Babel’s with the support of a Start Up Loan of £50k to help them secure their premises.
“We were looking at the bank before we knew about Let’s Do Business, and it seemed impossible to try and get the same amount of funding at such a good deal. It was simple, it was easy, and everyone at Let’s Do Business was so helpful. We wouldn’t be here without it”
– Amy from Babel’s, Hastings
Nomad Pizza
After weathering all the lockdowns, Whitstable-based Nomad Pizza has just celebrated their 2-year anniversary in the town, and what a successful first 2 years it has been for owners Vicki and Jon Crwys-Williams. They took home the prize for the Independent Pizza Delivery Award in 2020, the Gold Award for Best Independent Takeaway in 2021, and were recently nominated for the Taste of Kent awards – their ultra-fresh and new take on pizza proving immensely popular.
“We would not have been able to start our business without a Start Up Loan - that injection of funds was vital. Our business is now thriving - despite opening in the middle of a pandemic! And we have just won a national award for our pizzas - Best Independent Pizza Delivery at the Pizza & Pasta Industry Awards 2020!
- Jon Crwys-Williams, co-owner of Nomad Pizza, Whitstable
As they head towards the future, the business is significantly ahead of schedule in pizza sales and revenue, and the pair Jon and Vicki are investigating opening a second pizzeria in Canterbury, and aspiring to open more locations across Kent in the future.
Half Man Half Burger
Now a household name in Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and beyond, Half Man Half Burger has made a name for itself with good reason in Sussex – delivering an experience that true burger fans can’t get enough of, more reminiscent of something you could expect to find in London or New York than a corner of Hastings.
Co-owners Rory Myers and Matt Woodhouse source all their ingredients from local suppliers, including the grass-fed, pastured Sussex beef, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of serving the tastiest burgers possible, and provide vegetarian options to make sure that everyone is catered for.
In the launch of their first permanent home for Half Man Half Burger in St Leonards on Sea, owners Roy and Matt applied for a Start Up Loan from Let’s Do Business Finance to support the launch and refurbishment of their restaurant.
“The Start-Up Loans scheme was hugely helpful to us way back when we were setting up our new business. The loan and grant coordinators expect to see a viable business plan, which led us to dedicate time to work on our figures and projections. This helped to educate us, and we were able to develop a strong plan for the future.”
– Roy Myers, co-owner of Half Man Half Burger
Since that first Start Up Loan, Half Man Half Burger exploded on the street-food scene of Hastings – they’ve since opened a second successful branch at makers-haven The Yard; and most recently hosted Burger Jam in the summer of 2022, a free independent music festival which was extremely successful, to celebrate their being at the Yard for 1 year.
To the Rise
After only opening in the spring of 2022, Eastbourne’s To the Rise bakery has been a hit on its prominent Terminus Road location in the town. What started out as a project between sisters in lockdown, their endeavour took off – their 100% sourdough bread offer being one of the very few in Sussex, they built up a following on social media and realised their demand was outweighing their supply.
Outgrowing their kitchen at home, the band of sisters behind To The Rise began looking for a permanent home to take the business to the next level, and with assistance from Let’s Do Business Finance and a Start Up Loan of £25k, they were able to secure their Eastbourne premises. As soon as they opened, they had locals queuing outside for their tasty specials and iconic sourdough loaves, and are on track to have an immensely successful first year of operating.
“Since we opened it's been so busy, we had queues outside the door and even sold out of bread on several occasions. The community has been so supportive, getting behind us all, and all the other businesses on the street have been so welcoming. It’s been such a journey, but it’s been worth every second”
— Josie Pollard, Co-Owner, To The Rise Bakery
Bullhead Barber’s & Male Grooming
Having had a passion for cutting hair for 36 years, Nikos Mariolis took the leap to open his own salon, Bullhead Barber’s & Male Grooming, in the early summer of 2022. Taking over a premises on Eastbourne’s South Street, his dream and vision for a male barber’s that exuded pampering and a difference to the norm came to life, and it was made possible with a Start Up Loan from Let’s Do Business Finance to help him secure the lease and renovate the space.
“Let’s Do Business Group gave me the motivation and the means to start feeling important again and ready to be my own boss, in charge of my own life and future.
Chris Smith my Business Manager not only visualised my dreams, but also made them come true. Thank you for being a creator of my new exciting journey.”
- Nikos, owner of Bullhead Barber’s & Male Grooming
Over the years, we’ve helped countless people to achieve their dream of owning or growing their business. From business finance to free advice, support and skills-based workshops, our aim is to help businesses to Launch, Grow, and Thrive.
