Member Article

Pretty Suds Named Rotherham’s Young Entrepreneur Of 2016

Business owner Chloe Pretty recognised at prestigious awards ceremony hosted by Rotherham Youth Enterprise and UK Steel Enterprise

The founder of a Rotherham based handmade soap company has won the coveted Young Entrepreneur award in recognition of her achievements over the past year.

Chloe Pretty, a 23 year-old graduate from Rotherham, received the grand prize at the 2016 Rotherham Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards after her business – Pretty Suds – was also named Best New Start Up.

Now in its eleventh year the event, hosted by Rotherham Youth Enterprise and UK Steel Enterprise, recognises the achievements of business owners under the age of 30; with the winners announced at a ceremony which took place at Rotherham’s Magna Science Centre.

From her newly acquired business unit, Chloe crafts an alternative to supermarket bought soap, selling bath, body, scented and wax handmade products online to happy customers all over the country. She was presented with a special trophy, and a cheque for £1,000 in recognition of her achievements at the event which took place on Monday.

Speaking after the event, Chloe said “I’m still over the moon about winning the awards. I took a huge gamble quitting my day job to put all of my time and effort into Pretty Suds and it is great to be recognised for the hard work and passion that has gone into making my dream a reality.”

“With the money I received from winning, I plan to put in place a volunteer programme for young people with disabilities. I will invest in the appropriate equipment required and provide them with a safe environment to learn. “

Other categories including Most Innovative Business, Best Established, Best Customer Service and Most Determined to succeed saw winners receive a cheque for £500 to help them further grow their companies.

Darren McDool, Business Coach from Rotherham Youth Enterprise, said: “The calibre of the candidates that entered this year has again been exceptional. We have a fantastic mixture of creative new starts and growing established businesses, representing the increasing number of entrepreneurial young individuals in our region.”

Last year’s winner Jessica Long of JL Dance Academy said “Winning the award last year has opened so many doors for us. From performing at local shows, appearing on BBC documentaries and radio shows. I’ve also had the pleasure of travelling around schools up and down the country to share my knowledge and experience in business, inspiring other young people to go for their dreams just like I did.”

The awards were supported by lead sponsor UK Steel Enterprise, a subsidiary of Tata Steel tasked with helping the economic regeneration of communities affected by changes in the steel industry by investing in growing companies.

Allan Wood of UK Steel Enterprise, added: “The awards have been running for 11 years and it was pleasing to see that the standard of competition this year was as high as ever. We are delighted to continue our support of the young entrepreneurs shaping the future of Rotherham’s business landscape.

“Our congratulations go to all of the category winners and overall winner Chloe, whose drive and business acumen led her to be this year’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Steel .