A Leicester clothing company has received funding from EnterpriseLoans East Midlands to help launch its dance clothing brands to a wider audience.
Pete Wildrianne and Lynn Lawson, who run the young, urban-clothing business, Wild and Lawless, received funding from EnterpriseLoans East Midlands, which has helped them to create an online store and launch their new brands LAW and DanceLaw at a dance trade exhibition in London.
Established by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and managed by the First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA), EnterpriseLoans East Midlands provides businesses and entrepreneurs with loans of between £3,000 and £20,000.
“We are delighted that EnterpriseLoans East Midlands is helping us with our ambitions,” explains Lynn. “I have more than 30 years’ experience designing and developing high street clothing and Pete has worked in textile and retail sales. We identified a market for fresh and funky clothes that would fit in with the growing popularity of street wear and its related events.
“We prepared a business plan and cash flow forecast, which, along with our market research, were crucial elements of our loan application.
“Setting up a website means we can sell our clothes online which is essential to appeal to our target market. The loan fund also gave us an opportunity to exhibit alongside established dancewear brands at the Move It 2009 event in London. Talking to our target audience there gave us some invaluable ideas to help us make our brands relevant to them. We also received a great deal of retail interest from dancewear independents in the UK and abroad.”
Speaking about the scheme, John O’Reilly, emda’s Business Support Director said: “Securing finance to support or start your business through its formative months or years has often been the biggest challenge for budding entrepreneurs like Pete and Lynn, particularly during the current economic downturn.
“We want more people in Leicestershire with dedication and strong business propositions, to be given an opportunity to realise their ambitions. EnterpriseLoans East Midlands is a sustainable source of funding which addresses the difficulties of accessing finance and I am sure that there are many other budding entrepreneurs in the county who could benefit from this fund.”
Quamar Zaman, Chief Executive of FEBA, which administers the EnterpriseLoans East Midlands fund said: “During its first year, EnterpriseLoans East Midlands has already loaned £500,000 to a wide range of start up and existing businesses around the East Midlands. We still want to be helping people in nine years’ time, so for that reason we need to invest in businesses that have solid foundations and excellent people behind them.
“I would encourage people with commercially viable business ideas to contact their Business Link advisor and find out about the business support services available to them.
Existing entrepreneurs or individuals who are thinking of starting up in business should contact Business Link on 0845 058 6644 or visit www.businesslink.gov.uk
For more details about EnterpriseLoans East Midlands, telephone 0845 602 7355.
ENDS
Issued on behalf of emda by lava. For further information please contact
Matt or Louise at lava on 01522 842 800 / 07870 567 968 or matt@lavapr.co.uk / louise@lavapr.co.uk
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Notes to Editors:
About emda
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.
Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:
• Had a significant impact on the region’s economy
• Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
• Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
• Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year
• A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.
emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times.
Over the long term, emda’s aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for ‘a flourishing region’ can be achieved.
For more details visit www.emda.org.uk
About First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA)
• First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA) was established in 1989 to meet the challenges faced by the ethic minority community by bridging the gap of accessibility of support and provide a confidential and culturally sensitive business support service.
• FEBA is a non-profit-making organisation, which registered as a company limited by guarantee in May 1993 after it gained independence from the Nottingham City Council.
• First Enterprise Business Agency’s (FEBA’s) role is to help people from disadvantaged communities to create and sustain economic advantage through self-employment by providing pre and post start-up support in many forms.
• FEBA is an Enterprise Agency in the East Midlands region with a specialist remit to serve the ethnic minority community, and the disadvantaged groups.
• First Enterprise is a member of the following organisations:
o BERR Approved Enterprise Agency
o Full member of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA)
o Member of Community Development Finance Association (CDFA)
o Licensed by the Office of Fair Trading under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, license number 381033
o Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce membership number 369975
o Meets the requirements of the National Standard for Effective Investment in People
o Registered for BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certificate number 19088
o Accredited by the Customer First Framework certificate number 1490
Committed to Business in the Community’s Community Mark
Wild and Lawless
• Wild and Lawless launched in August 2008.
• Wild and Lawless works with local people and businesses from web designers to manufacturers and they also sponsor a local MC and street dance crew. As the business grows, Pete and Lynn plan to support local talent by offering clothing sponsorship to more dancers and performers in the county.
• Contact Lynn Lawless 07734 835708 or visit www.wildandlawless.com
