Success Stories
Explore the inspiring journey of La Lola, a dynamic local business honoured with the SME Grant via the BrisBES programme. Funded by Bristol City Council, West Of England Combined Authority and Levelling Up….
Discover how Joff Soden gained a better understanding of MMC by attending Skills Bootcamps – Future of Construction …
“The Skills Bootcamps – Digital Marketing was a fantastic starting point to learn about the digital techniques that we could employ within the company,”…
“Thanks to the courses, I had a lightbulb moment where I realised that I needed to have a steady income to free me up to have time for my creativity in terms of the products I made and sold”. …
Louise Fitzgerald is the owner of The Hideout, an open space for hire, that hosts a variety of activities. Louise started planning her new business after becoming unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with many other entrepreneurs…
Carlos creates delicious bonbons and truffles from organically sourced cocoa from Ecuador and hosts chocolate tasting sensory experiences from his home in Shirehampton, Bristol…
Fairbite is a mobile fresh fruit and vegetable business which aims to bring fresh, affordable vegetables to communities and promote a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, run by Hielen Tekeste. Hielen has Eritrean heritage and was born and raised in Italy. Both cultures influenced her in opening her business, as street grocery markets are very common […]…
Lucy Willoughby, owner of Good Things spoke to us about plans to open her new pop-up shop in The Galleries, Bristol, supported by North & East Bristol Enterprise Support (NEBES)…
Sue Weeks, who goes under the stage name Suzanne Stewart, is a Bristol based author and lyricist who has worked in performance poetry, short plays and songs for local festivals. She has also recently published her first Young Adult novel, Rowan The Dreamweaver, which she wrote during the national lockdowns. Sue worked with a local […]…
Three things prompted Carly Cannings to set up her new business, The Happy Business School, in January 2022. The first was the realisation that having climbed the corporate ladder in her legal career, she was left unexpectedly dissatisfied. “I thought that my achievements which took me to become Head of Department and a member of the […]…
Having studied graphic design at university, Michael Hawkins co-founded a design agency which he ran successfully for ten years. A passion for food gradually became more of an obsession as he taught himself to cure and smoke foods which then progressed into pasta making during the national lockdowns. A cancelled trip to Greece, due to […]…
Nigel Smith is the Director and Animator at the non-profit CIC, Stop Mo Studios. From their studio in Eastville, Bristol, Stop Mo Studios create craft stop motion films about a variety of topics like health and sustainability, using traditional methods in a very creative way. Nigel’s films in the past have had a focus on […]…
The Improv Theatre is the UK’s first full-time dedicated improv theatre company. With a team of 14, the theatre operates in a four-story building in Clifton, Bristol, where they put on regular shows, as well as teach Improv classes, workshops and function as a venue hire. The Bristol Improv Theatre started life in 2012 as […]…
Barbara Evripidou is a freelance photographer and owner of First Avenue Photography, with over 30 years of experience in corporate and PR photography. Like many businesses, the lockdown restrictions over the past two years affected Barbara’s day to day operations and limited opportunities to find new clients and promote her work. …
Ben East is the founder and sole director of Earthwise Construction, a sustainable construction and ventilation company based in Bristol.
The construction industry has a reputation for being quite unsustainable and wasteful. …
Robert James is the owner of Bristol Wild Gardens, a unique gardening business that specialises in rewilding and transforming people’s gardens into wildlife havens, based in Easton…
The Famous Company – a Bristol based business helping unsigned global music artists, is broadening its services thanks support from North and East Bristol Enterprise Support (NEBES) and grant funding from the West of England Combined Authority. The Famous Company, which was founded in 2010 by Matt Allen and Ben Rees in Stokes Croft, Bristol, have previously helped thousands of […]…
Rosie Reiter is a Bristol based artist who has started her own business creating vibrant nature themed art, prints, greeting cards and bespoke murals. These rich designs feature exotic plants, gorgeous landscapes and jewel-like birds, inspired by her travels through the desert and jungle landscapes of South, Central and North America as well as Asia […]…
Mojakid is an innovative & conscious kids clothing company that seeks to communicate the values of respect, unity and freedom. …
KC Concepts Pop Up Shop – the first to be black owned, launches at The Galleries shopping mall in Bristol thanks to support from NEBES. …
Nom Wholefoods is a plastic free wholefoods delivery service, which delivers throughout East Bristol and parts of South Gloucestershire. Founder, Nikki Watten, runs the business out of her home in Fishponds…
“GetSet for Growth helped us explore lots of different models for doing that and really think about what works for us.”…
“The support, advice and knowledge which we have received from the Outset team has played an integral role in helping us open successfully.”…
Kendia Consulting is a purpose driven career consultancy operating across Bristol and the Southwest. Kendia Christodoulou, the founder, offers support writing CVs, cover letters and interview preparation…
Airway Medical Ltd are a start-up based in the Engine Shed near Temple Meads who produce novel Suction Therapy equipment for clearing blocked airways in emergency and chronic conditions. Read how their success arose out of a global pandemic. …
Rundeavour.com, an online gift store for fitness enthusiasts, was set up by Stephen Taggart to sell clothing, drinkware and accessories….
Claudia Kennaugh set up Art and People to help collectors find artwork and to support artists after working in the music industry. …
During the 2020 pandemic lots of industries were hit quite severely, but for the events industry, the effects were devastating. That was when Bristol Events and Project Manager, Katie Dane, found herself at a crossroads. With a lot of uncertainty ahead, she decided to take the brave steps out into the world of self-employment. Read her story…
Giulia Danielis is a self-professed dog lover and is “passionate about helping people understand, communicate, train and thrive with their dogs.’’ Today she runs My Kinda Dog, a premium dog training and people coaching business….
“GetSet provided us with tools to help us review our business including our marketing activity which was really useful,”…
“Without the support and guidance from SBES, I wouldn’t have achieved as much as I have and I’m really grateful to them for that.” …
In 2019 the SJL Foundation launched a new initiative to give 8 entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their new business start-up idea to a panel of 4 judges in the House of Commons. Businesses running for less than a year had the opportunity to enter for a chance to win funding and mentorship for their […]…