Success stories

Since brothers Paul and John King set up Nationwide Frame Services 25 years ago, they have encountered some difficult trading conditions over that time, but none as tough as the last couple of years. However, despite the well-publicised challenges in the UK construction market, chiefly due to pandemic restrictions and…

Crimple Garden Centre has an excellent location on a busy main road close to Harrogate town centre, resulting in impressive footfall. Graham Watson has owned the garden centre since 2013 and has created an excellent business with a great reputation. People travel for miles to buy his high-quality plants, shrubs,…

When Claire Price bought Reuthe’s in Seal Chart near Sevenoaks, she was on a mission to return the 130-year-old arboretum to its former glory. Previously it had won 28 gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its rhododendrons and acid-loving shrubs and trees. However, it became neglected and…

What started as a hobby turned into a passion for entrepreneur Ray Davis. He had always been interested in boats which led to a group of his friends, who shared the same enthusiasm, investing in the building of a top of the range 60-foot luxury yacht. They established Quaestus Yachts…

When a syndicate of four successful Bradford businessmen spotted an opportunity to buy an industrial property at auction, they knew they had to have it. They spotted the potential to turn a 13,487 square foot building, on an industrial estate close to Halifax town centre, into seven smaller ones, making…

Jason Hughes is a successful entrepreneur with several successful businesses. As well as retailing cars and motorbikes, he also owns the very popular indoor karting track, Kart World in Burscough, Lancashire. He spotted an opportunity to buy a derelict pub nearby, which already had planning permission for a residential development….

Like many others in the hospitality sector, Ponti’s Restaurant, which has outlets in Sheffield and London, was hit hard by the pandemic. Having been in the same family for nearly 50 years, it has survived some difficult times, including several recessions. However, COVID-19 was unprecedented in the way it affected…

Car enthusiast, Olly Marshall, certainly knew what job he wanted to do when he was younger. It was therefore no surprise that he started a business repairing rally cars when he was 21, back in 2003. This quickly developed into him building and selling them, providing support at races, and…

From the age of six, Carol Gerrard-Hughes used to spend weekends and school holidays, with her parents and two siblings, in a caravan at Forest View in Oakmere, Northwich, overlooking the Delamere Forest. At the age of 13 she started washing up in the pub on the site and, when…

Cleator Mills, near Whitehaven, has quite a history. Built in 1800, it played a significant role in the development of rights for women workers when poor conditions and pay led to a strike by the female workforce in March 1915. At one time it employed 600 people and became the…

Electek Solutions Limited (ESL) is a renewable energy consultancy which audits companies’ energy performance, and supplies and installs products to reduce consumption, save costs and protect the environment. Solutions include LED lighting, solar panels, PV and battery storage, and advanced energy monitoring systems. From its Newcastle HQ it has enjoyed…

Here is another great example of one of our clients adapting its business to help in the fight against coronavirus. David Muirhead, a commercial carpet cleaner by trade, teamed up with a chemical laboratory a couple of years ago to develop X-Mist, a successful product designed to help the hospitality…

With an increasing number of patients being discharged from hospitals to free up beds during the COVID-19 outbreak, there was an urgent need for carers to look after them in their own homes, visiting them up to three times a day. Our client, Care At Home Group (CAHG), has an…

Jonathan Padley operates several business ventures and we are delighted to have provided him with a working capital injection to grow his holiday lets company, which he is in the process of extending to include log cabins, as well as barn conversions. However, rather than calling on our support to…

West-Midlands company, Zero Point 8 has over 40 years’ experience as specialists in design, manufacture and installation of bespoke furniture for the hospitality, retail, healthcare, commercial and education sectors. The company had never specifically worked in the medical sector before but was quick to react when it realised it could…

An engineering firm, which prefers to remain anonymous, had built an excellent reputation as specialists in the design, manufacture and installation of steel chimneys, as well as structural and architectural steelwork. Sadly, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit led to a fall in orders, added to which, contractual problems with a particularly…

If you have stayed in the top hotels, enjoyed yourself on a first-class cruise or attended an upmarket hospitality event, the chances are you will have relaxed on Akula Living’s outdoor furniture. Global brands including the Marriott, TUI Cruises, the Waldorf Astoria Casa Marina Resort and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, have…

North-East based Speedflex was established and funded by entrepreneur Graham Wylie, one of the original founders of Sage, and Paul Ferris, ex Newcastle United physiotherapist. The company manufactures innovative gym equipment which, unlike traditional exercise machines, does not use weights. Instead resistance is automatically adjusted in response to the user.

Following a trip to Bali, Chloe Moss was inspired to make handmade sterling silver jewellery, resulting in her setting up ChloBo in 2005. The company has developed significantly since then, adding gold plated jewellery to the range and building a brand which is recognised for its ‘stackable’ and on-trend designs.

London City Facades Ltd is a leading contractor which designs, manufactures and installs full exterior facades for residential and commercial projects. Working with a number of well-regarded national developers in the South East and Greater London, the company provides a complete project management service, from the design phase through to final installation.

Conwy-based Frontgrid, which specialises in adventure leisure and virtual reality attractions, had designed and produced the world’s first virtual reality (VR) paragliding experience product, ParadropVR. Unlike other VR attractions, ParadropVR is fully immersive and creates an unrivalled, realistic flying sensation for the user. It combines dynamic physical movement and stunning…

Carol Cavendish, who owns North Shire Ltd in Saltburn-by-Sea, has turned her Golden Hill farm into an award-winning holiday site. She not only provides traditional camping facilities but also gives people the chance to stay in original gypsy bow top caravans, as well as a story book cottage, complete with…