Her Biz July 2020 Winner

From hairdressing to dog grooming, Her Biz winner shares experience starting a business

Our July 2020 Her Biz winner Alice Reed, based in Bexhill, East Sussex, is on track to open her own business and become fully operational by the end of the year with her start-up, The Dog & Comb Grooming Co. Alice won the free virtual start-up programme which provides expert business advice across four Zoom sessions led by expert start-up coaches. Delivered by Let’s Do Business Group in partnership with NatWest, the course has had over ten successful rounds across East Sussex and Kent so far. Alice also received support through our CHART programme which offers expert business support for those based in Hastings and Bexhill. Find out more here.

We caught up with Alice so she could share first-hand her experience in the Women’s Start Up Programme, in hopes we can inspire as many aspiring female entrepreneurs as possible to get involved. Alice said, “As this was a start-up business, I decided I needed expert help on how to make my dream become a reality. The course helped me through the different steps of achieving my goals on a logical and clear basis. It provided me with clarity on how both to progress and achieve what I needed to know to set up my own business.”

Alice continued, “Helena and Lisa were always on hand to help with any questions that I had. The course content was structured in a way that I did not ever feel overwhelmed, as it was broken down into manageable chunks. It was also nice to meet other ladies that were on a similar pathway as myself.

The benefits of attending the Her Biz course have gone way beyond my expectations. I would not be looking forward to opening my business, The Dog Comb & Grooming Co without all the guidance from the Her Biz course combined with practical advice from Lisa and Helena. The support I’ve received has been nothing short of amazing”

Lisa said “Alice was a worthy winner of our Her Biz competition in July, both myself and Helena were really impressed with the business plan that she submitted, we could clearly see how passionate she is about dogs and her fledgling new business. Not only did she put together a very comprehensive business plan but she really thought about the financial aspects of starting a new business and considered all the necessary elements required”.

We thought we’d find out more about the story behind Alice’s start-up. When asked what made her choose a career as a dog groomer, she said: “Dog grooming isn’t something that I considered as career until about 3 years ago. I have always loved animals and I really do feel like I am in my comfort zone when I am around them.  I was a qualified hairdresser, (that, to be honest, I did not enjoy),  so I decided to utilise this experience on my move over to the canine world.”

A dog owner of two beautiful Dachshunds, Mr Weenie and Poppy, Alice’s ambition has always been to work with animals. After gaining her OCN level 3 qualification in dog grooming and winning the Her Biz start-up course, Alice can now look forward to setting up shop and starting a brand-new business venture.

We are recruiting for our next series of virtual start-up workshops. Apply here before 11 November for the chance to join the next programme.