A Cornwall-based therapist has launched her own salon on the north coast with the help of a £25,000 Start Up Loan delivered by SWIG Finance.
Experienced hair stylist and Reiki trained energy practitioner Roseanne Browning is the proud owner of Boho Rose Collective, located a stone’s throw from the beach in Porthtowan.
Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director at a fixed rate of interest and free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business.
SWIG Finance is the Bank’s Business Support Partner for the government-backed programme in the South West.
Experienced hair stylist and Reiki trained energy practitioner Roseanne Browning is the proud owner of Boho Rose Collective
Roseanne moved to Cornwall from Yorkshire in March last year. She and partner Kyle Ashley now live in Porthtowan with their three children, aged between five and 21 months.
“I used to come to Cornwall for childhood holidays, and it was my dream to move here,” she says. “Kyle came back from Porthtowan one day; he’d seen the village and said, ‘This is you.’ I took our baby for a walk, saw the premises, thought, ‘yep, this feels like mine,’ and asked everyone I could who the landlord was.
“It was like something was pulling me there. That’s the magic of Porthtowan.”
Once she had the keys, Roseanne was keen to put her own stamp on the salon, using her Start Up Loan to aim for a natural look with wood, bamboo and earthy textures, and a complete refit for the kitchen, flooring and lighting.
“The loan helped me to do things exactly how I wanted,” she says. “I wanted it to feel like a living room. When I worked from home, I did things my way and my clients always loved being there.”
A hairdresser by training, Roseanne has developed and integrated the alternative treatments she loves so much into her salon work, blending her craft with a holistic philosophy. She sees cutting hair as less of a service and more of a meaningful ritual where identity, energy and personal transformation meet.
“I’m passionate about creating a space where people feel held,” she explains. “Through gentle styling and energetic awareness, I help release stagnant energy so the body can soften into a state of self-healing. I believe people are deeply connected to one another — that’s where the collective comes from.”
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All furniture is on wheels to enable it to be moved aside, providing a larger floor space for workshops such as community circles, intimate yoga or sound bath meditations. “My goal is to provide a safe spiritual place for everyone, and to hold some events in which people pay what they can, in the hope some will pay more and enable others to come.” Outside practitioners will be chosen carefully to complement Roseanne’s ethos.
On the shelves are a curated selection of products, artwork, crystals, candles and books, sourced both internationally and from local artisans and creators wherever possible. Roseanne works with the Green Salon Collective to ensure waste products including hair and foils are recycled into eco-friendly products.
Her long-term goal is to launch a podcast about Porthtowan, its residents and businesses. “There are so many people doing amazing things here and across Cornwall, people’s stories have a deep sense of magic.”
Roseanne found the Start Up Loans programme through a simple internet search, and was paired with Ellie Garbett, Start Up Loans Officer for SWIG Finance. “The alternative was credit cards, so I put my application in and hoped for the best,” says Roseanne.
“Working with SWIG Finance was an amazing experience. Ellie was so friendly and helped me with spreadsheets and supported me – we did it all together.”
Ellie says: “I wanted to support this business as Roseanne had a clear and well-researched vision that meets a growing customer demand for integrated beauty and wellness services. Her business is unique which sets it apart from traditional salons.
“Roseanne has the dedication and expertise to make this business successful and create a meaningful impact in the community.”
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About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a people-based lender that provides loans and support to help smaller businesses in the South and West Country grow. We base our lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, which means that we can often support businesses when others can't.
We’re growing every year. In 2025/26, we lent £18.4m to 506 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,134 jobs and generate £95.2m in social impact. Download the report here.
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930