The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year: Could it be you?

Why have we got an Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year category?

Returning to the Startups Awards for its second year, we bring you The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year.

Created in partnership with headline sponsor The Start Up Loans Company, this award looks to champion the inspiring and motivating founders who have used a Start Up Loan to get their business idea off the ground.

Whatever industry you’ve used your Start Up Loan to launch or grow your business in – be it retail, fashion, construction, hair and beauty, education etc. – this award commends you for taking the leap and using the funding injection to take your start-up venture to the next level.

Established in 2012, backed by the government and merged with the British Business Bank, The Start Up Loans Company has granted 55,000 loans to start-ups up and down the country, totalling an impressive £400m investment.

So, if yours is one of the 55,000 businesses ideas to have received a Start Up Loan then we want to hear your story!

Enter The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year here.

What are we looking for in a great Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year?

To be considered for The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year, you’ll need to have received a Start Up Loan.

Beyond that, your business must have started to trade no earlier than 1 August 2014 and no later than 31 July 2017, and must be independently owned and UK-based.

Judging for this category will see our panel take into account questions such as:

• What’s your background?
• What has your business achieved since receiving a Start Up Loan?
• What does the future hold for your business?
• And, importantly, what makes you a particularly inspirational entrepreneur?

The founders of Infinity Trampoline Park, David Montgomery and Taran Campbell, were crowned the Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year award winners in 2017.

They impressed the judges with the story of how, in 2015, they used a low-interest Start Up Loan to launch their first trampoline facility at a small park on an industrial estate in Wales.

Two years on and the young duo had relocated their Cardiff trampoline park to a larger nearby site, twice the size, and had opened a second park in Inverness. At the time of their award win, the inspiring business owners had also revealed plans to open an Infinity Trampoline Park in Alicante, Spain.

Why you should enter the Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year category

As the UK’s longest running awards of its kind, winning at the Startups Awards boosts your business’ reputation, offers major PR exposure, validation, and industry recognition.

Alongside attendance at the prestigious Startups Awards 2018 ceremony, taking place on Wednesday 21 November, winning the Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year category will see your business featured on Startups.co.uk, across our social media accounts, in video interviews, and in press releases that go out to the nationals.

Winners and finalists of the category will also receive a template press release to boost media coverage and a logo for brand marketing.

What’s more, and this is arguably the biggest benefit of entering the Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year Award; you’ll be getting your business in front of an incredible panel of judges which includes business leaders, high-profile investors and successful entrepreneurs.

2018 judges include Mumsnet and Gransnet co-founder Justine Roberts MBE, Zoopla Property Group founder Alex Chesterman OBE, innocent drinks and JamJar Investments co-founder Jon Wright and SULCo’s very own Joanna Hill – to name just a few.

Have you received a Start Up Loan and think you’ve got what it takes to win The Start Up Loans Company Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year? 

Submit your entry for the Startups Awards 2018 now.