Cornish entrepreneur Hayley Jones has had a £10,000 Start Up Loan boost through SWIG Finance.
Hayley, founder of Moon Phase Studio, received the government- backed loan to help her customers attune to the moon phases.
As a mother to two young children, Hayley needed to be able to work around family commitments and so she decided to start her own business.
With a degree in fashion textiles, Hayley utilises her artistic creativity to craft beautiful moon phase calendars which are printed from hand-drawn designs. These calendars are intended to educate people on how to improve their lifestyle by working with the moon cycle.
Hayley had produced moon phase calendars on a small scale before, so she knew the idea would work. Furthermore, the astrology market is increasing year-on-year and is now estimated to be worth £1.61 billion, with thanks in part to the anxieties and stresses caused by the pandemic. In fact, during the peak of the pandemic, the term “coronavirus astrology” was coined in response to the rising levels of interest.
As the business organically evolved, Hayley began adding complimentary products to her e-commerce shop, which now includes Luna planting guides and ritual ‘Bath Teas’ – view the full range of products here.
With the festive season approaching, Hayley knew that she would need to give the business a big marketing push and she invested her savings into marketing tactics, such as paid advertising on social media.
Through her efforts, Hayley saw her minimum order values increase and this was when she decided that additional funding would strengthen her business further. Because the business had been trading for under two years, Hayley approached the Start Up Loans Company, who signposted her to SWIG Finance.
At SWIG Finance, Hayley was introduced to her local adviser, Nicki Kimberley, who was able to help support her application by helping Hayley think more strategically about her survival plan.
With a robust plan in place, Hayley’s application was approved, and the funding was delivered in a matter of days.
Hayley has set her sights on expanding internationally and has already begun exporting her products to the U.S. In time, Hayley hopes to create at least one new job to cover the administration aspects of the business which will leave Hayley with more time to spend on creating new artwork.
SWIG’s Start Up Loans Officer Nicki said “Hayley has taken her creative talents and applied them to a fast-growth market, a great starting point for any successful business. Drawing upon her design skills Hayley’s illustrations are educational, informative and aesthetically pleasing. We are excited to see how Hayley’s business evolves”.
Of the funding, business owner Hayley said “There are so many benefits of attuning yourself to the moon phases, but the overarching benefit is increasing self-care. In such a disruptive world, self-care is important and, ultimately will help people to live a more fulfilled life. This Start Up Loan funding means that I can expand my product range and offer more ways for my customers to practice self-care”.
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is the South West’s leading Community Development Financial Institution. We are passionate about bringing social and economic benefits to people and places in the South West.
We do this by providing support and finance to Start Ups and growing SMEs that can create and secure employment opportunities.
As the South West’s leading delivery partner for Start Up Loans UK, we can provide Start Up Loans from £500 – £25,000. For more information visit https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/start-up-loans/
We also have business loans from £25,001 to £250,000 available to South West SMEs who cannot access sufficient funding from their bank https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/business-loans/
If you would like to have an informal discussion about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to find out how we can help: info@swigfinance.co.uk / 01872 227 930.