Start Up Loans programme reveals its 2024 Ambassador for the North West

Lisa Storey, founder of EZ Hampers, a sustainable gift company which sources sustainable products solely from positive impact businesses, is among 14 businesses announced today as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors.

After a career in social work and nursing, Lisa wanted to have a positive impact on her community and the environment. As a result, she founded EZ Hampers – a sustainable gift company which sources sustainable products solely from positive impact businesses. Products include crisps in 100% compostable wrappers, and eco-conscious sugarcane bath products.

Lisa previously ran EZ Hampers from an old chapel, but because the business wasn’t front of face in the community, it wasn’t experiencing much footfall. In 2024, Lisa secured a £10k Start Up Loan via Business Support Partner, GC Business Finance, to get new business premises and is now based canal-side in Altrincham, where passers-by can visit the shop to buy individual products or make hampers.

Lisa is working with students from Manchester Metropolitan University to improve her marketing strategy to support business growth and has recently hired a marketing manager. She also plans to employ underrepresented people from the local community and hopes to host networking sessions for underrepresented groups, promoting diversity and encouraging businesses to hire a more representative workforce.

The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its ninth year, celebrates inspiring UK business owners who have launched an enterprise using financing from the government-backed scheme. The Ambassadors have been selected as they demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and determination required to make a smaller business successful, and to provide inspiration for entrepreneurs across the UK.

Lisa Storey said: “I’m really excited to have been asked to be a Start Up Loans Ambassador this year. Since receiving the Start Up Loan, we have moved into new premises, which has put us at the front and centre of the community. We have been hosting lots of events, and we have recently hired a marketing manager to support us in raising our brand awareness.

“The Start Up Loan was so important for me to achieve my dreams of opening EZ Hampers and I want to show other entrepreneurs that it’s possible to set up their own business with the right support. I would like to encourage others to reach out to Start Up Loans if they are wanting to take the leap in starting a business.”

This year, in addition to 12 Ambassadors drawn from each of the UK’s Nations and regions, two more Ambassadors have been selected. These business owners represent two important groups supported by the programme, who may face challenges in accessing financing elsewhere: one from the ex-Armed Forces community and the other from the Gen Z age group.

Previous Start Up Loans Ambassadors have gone on to achieve considerable growth, such as Dash Water, NICE Drinks and UK Connect. One of the most successful scale-up businesses supported by a Start Up Loan is Castore, which at the end of 2023 had reached unicorn status with a valuation of $1bn.

The 2024 Ambassadors will be introduced at a dedicated event in central London that marks the start of a year-long programme which will see the new Ambassadors take part in a series of local and national activities, helping inspire and encourage aspiring start-up founders to take the leap into business ownership.

Delyth Edwards, Senior Network Manager for the North West of England at the British Business Bank said: “I am delighted to welcome Lisa and EZ Hampers as the new Ambassador for the North West. Lisa embodies the determination and drive that is required of a business owner in the current climate. I know that she will inspire others to follow their dream of becoming a business owner and I am very much looking forward to working with Lisa and helping to share her story.”

Alex Mearns, head of startup lending at GC Business Finance, said: “Helping small businesses to grow is incredibly important to us. The rate of growth EZ Hampers has seen so far is very exciting, and the social impact the business has is inspiring.

“With high aspirations, since receiving a Start Up Loan EZ Hampers has gone on to showcase why the programme is so important. Lisa has created jobs, contributed to the local economy and has plans to expand her market offering. EZ Hampers is an inspiration to other small businesses in the region.”

Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas said: “Access to finance is crucial for SMEs to succeed, and the startup loan scheme is a lightning rod to that success. We know that when small businesses are given the tools to thrive, it leads to growth, more jobs and helps to boost the whole economy.”

Since its inception, the Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 115,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £1.1bn of funding. Of those loans, 40% of loan recipients have been women and 20% from Black, Asian, and Other Minority Ethnic backgrounds (not including White Minorities).

Through a network of business support partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides:

· access to pre-and-post loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan

· fixed-interest first and second loans of up to £25,000 to help recipients to start or grow their business

· mentoring support to help loan recipients with everything from cash flow to marketing.

As an official Business Support Partner for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loan programme, GC Business Finance operates within a network of business support partners, delivering Start Up Loans in the range of £500 to £25,000 across the whole of the UK.