Member Article

Young entrepreneur shapes up thanks to support scheme

A FITNESS fanatic mum has powered her way to the helm of her own business after being backed by a scheme which helps budding entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

Dawn Henderson, from Newcastle, had been reliant on Job Seekers Allowance before she contacted business support organisation Entrust to access the Start-Up Loans programme.

The government-backed initiative, which is delivered in the North East by Entrust, offers financial support and business mentoring to 18 to 30 year olds who want to start their own business.

For Dawn, the scheme gave her the chance to combine her love of fitness and her ambitions of helping adults and children become healthier, with the flexibility of running her own business.

With the help of the scheme, she has launched Tag Team Fitness – a personal training service specially designed to help children improve fitness and increase their confidence through games and fun activities.

As well as receiving a loan from The Start-Up Loans Company to get the business off the ground, Dawn has also received ongoing support and guidance from her Entrust Start-Up mentor as her company takes shape.

She said: “It feels amazing to be calling the shots in my own business – although it can also be pretty scary – and I’m certainly game for the challenge.

“It wouldn’t have been possible to set up the business without the support of Entrust, and they are continually giving me valuable advice along the way.”

John Liddle, Lending Manager at Entrust, said: “It’s great to see Dawn’s hard work and dedication coming to fruition with Tag Team Fitness and we look forward to helping to create similarly impressive enterprises through the programme in the future.”

Entrust is one of the longest established business support organisations in the UK and offers the customised support needed to enable businesses to achieve their objectives.

The Start-Up Loans Company offers loan finance from £250 at a nominal interest rate of 6% to 18 to 30 year olds, while also providing additional extras such as a free Regus virtual office for six months and a Magento website with e-commerce capabilities amongst a number of other offerings.

Entrust is part of a consortium delivering Start-Up Loans, led by the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA). The consortium received up to £1.3million to boost youth entrepreneurship.

For more information visit: www.entrust.co.uk/money/start-up-loans

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Harvey and Hugo .