Her Biz November 2022 Winner
Owner of organic skincare brand Eden Grace Organics wins £500 to jumpstart business from the NatWest funded Her Biz Start Up Business workshops
Passionate about creating natural, affordable and effective skincare for all, Pauline Collins’ hopes to combine home-grown solutions with high quality ingredients to the people of Hastings’ and beyond with her business Eden Grace Organics.
Pauline won £500 towards her start-up costs for Eden Grace Organics after taking part in the NatWest funded Her Biz start-up workshop programme in November 2022, and submitting her winning business plan to the following optional competition, which is open to all participants.
The Her Biz programme, which is delivered by Let’s Do Business Group and support by NatWest bank, consists of 4 x 2 hour workshops over 4 weeks, and aims to increase entrepreneurship by breaking down the barriers between women and starting or growing a business. Delivered virtually over Zoom by two expert business coaches, the programme has been a long running success since it launched over 3 years ago.
What is Eden Grace Organics?
Eden Grace Organics is a natural and organic skincare brand using 75% and above of organic and fresh ingredients, with the aim of growing some of the ingredients used in-house to ensure that the products are as ethical and high quality as possible.
With an ever-growing list of products available, Pauline aims for Eden Grace Organics to cater to a wide range of skin types and ages. Already offering creams for dry cracked skin and anti-aging as well as lip balms and muscle fatigue treatments, the business has something to offer for any consumer who might be looking for an alternative to chemically mass produced skin care.
With a background in aromatherapy massage and years of creating organic skincare for family and friends as a hobby, Pauline decided to pursue making her hobby into a full time business, so that she could turn her passion into a way to make organic and pure skincare accessible to all.
“Friends and family that have used my products have told me over the years that I should make a bigger business out of it so that I can make it available to more people”
With her muscle fatigue oils already being used by sports massage therapists, Pauline aims to branch out further by having Eden Grace Organics stocked in high end shops and spas, while remaining affordable.
“I want my products to be affordable, but I will be producing more luxurious products too.”
A unique selling point of Eden Grace Organics is its manufacturing process – which takes place in Pauline’s own home. Once she really gets going, she hopes to grow what she can to extract essential oils and ingredients to include in her products, and plans to begin to offer cuttings of the plants from products to customers, highlighting her natural approach to production and adding value.
Eventually, Pauline would like to grow the business to the point that she can acquire a larger space to grow even more plants, and therefore more potential ingredients for products.
Finding the Her Biz programme
Pauline joined the Her Biz Start Up Business Workshop to gain some clarity on the practicalities of starting her own business, and how she could set about making her ideas for Eden Grace Organics a success.
The Her Biz Women’s Start Up Business Workshops, delivered through 4 x 2 hour sessions, covers everything from sales, marketing, finance and business planning; and from this, Pauline was able to create her plan of making Eden Grace Organics official, and how she could turn her hobby into a full time business. After completing series of workshops, Pauline submitted her business plan to the subsequent competition, which is open to all attendees, and won the £500 prize towards her start up costs.
“The Her Biz workshop really opened my eyes to starting my business. So much information from tax and registering your business to trademarks and all types of marketing. Lisa and Helena are so knowledgeable, helpful and always there if you have any queries. I loved every minute of the workshop. Thank you, ladies!”
Now having completed the Her Biz programme with a renewed motivation for moving Eden Grace Organics forward, Pauline is now looking to secure funding for her business idea to expand her operations.
“It was great getting to know Pauline during the Her Biz programme and seeing her confidence and belief in her business grow, she is a creator and often comes up with innovative ideas to try out with her products. Winning Her Biz will be a massive boost for Pauline’s confidence and will encourage her to move forward with bringing ideas to fruition.”
All the team at Let’s Do Business Group wish Pauline and Eden Grace Organics the best of luck!
