SAVVY Grace Trowbridge left her marketing job in the leisure industry intending to start her own property business.
But, after moving from London to Petersfield, Hampshire, at the height of the pandemic, she found that it was much harder than she had envisioned.
2
2
Instead, she decided to set up an online marketplace where independent black-owned businesses could promote themselves.
Now her award-winning Simply Noir website hosts more than 60 companies, selling a diverse range of high-quality products.
Grace, 37, who has two young children, stressed that her business is more than just a sales platform.
She said: “We also support black businesses by running business workshops and mentoring sessions and offering external PR and guidance on getting the best out of social media.”
The £5,000 grant will help Simply Noir develop an app and sponsor two other businesses – Beau Polish and Softly Shea.
Grace said: “We are so thankful, and feel fortunate that we can use this money to help other companies to grow and employ more people.”
Grace Trowbridge:
Most read in Money
WINNERS OF £250K BUSINESS GRANTS
START small but dream big! Last year The Sun and lotto firm Camelot teamed up to give away a whopping £250,000 to help small start-up businesses across the nation.
Together we offered a life-changing £5,000 grant to would-be business owners with a bright idea who needed cash to get going, or to existing so-called “kitchen table” companies hoping to supercharge their growth.
We had thousands of entries from amazing entrepreneurs aged 17 to 70, each hoping to play their part to keep the UK going under lockdown.
Each and every one was judged by our panel of stars, including top entrepreneurs, celebrities and industry experts.
Today – one year on – we’re catching up with some of our 50 winners to reveal how they’ve transformed their lives, their businesses and the communities of which they are a part.
Our great big giveaway for small businesses has seen scores of Brits get back into work and set up some of the UK’s most innovative and exciting new companies.
Lady Karren Brady CBE, top businesswoman and Sun Kitchen Table Entrepreneur judge, said: “Times are tough right now so it’s hugely inspiring to see so many of The Sun and Camelot-backed small businesses flourishing.
“Running your own business can be life changing and I’m so proud of all The Sun winners have achieved.”
And our 50 winners are not alone. The latest Business Statistics bulletin shows there were 810,316 new businesses launched in the financial year ending in 2021 – up almost 22 per cent on 2019.
So if you’re keen to get started, read about the inspiring entrepreneurs who won £5,000 in our contest.
THE SHEER INGENUITY HERE MERITS FUNDING
By Nigel Railton
ONE of the great privileges of my job is I get to see with my own eyes the difference that the National Lottery makes up and down the country.
That’s why I was so proud for Camelot to back The Sun’s brilliant Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs campaign last year.
After all, making sure as much money as possible goes towards life-changing projects is incredibly important to us.
In fact, it’s what gets us out of bed in the morning. For every ticket sold, a hefty slice of the money received goes to a huge variety of projects, from designing clothes for curvy women to preparing healthy, affordable meals for people.
Remember, every time you play the National Lottery, the UK wins. To date, National Lottery players have helped to raise over £45BILLION for good causes, with more than 660,000 individual awards made across the UK — the equivalent of more than 235 lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
I hope you’ll agree these are impressive statistics. But behind these big numbers are real human stories.
And you can read similar stories in The Sun today about the sheer ingenuity our Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs have shown to deserve their grants — and what they are doing with the money.
Lockdown forced many of us into thinking about what we could do with the rest of our lives.
At a time when the UK economy needs everyone pulling together, I think it’s truly humbling to see what these fantastic kitchen table entrepreneurs have been up to.
These guys are proof that with a bit of talent and a lot of determination, there’s nothing that can’t be achieved.
If you’ve ever played a National Lottery game, thank you.
Have a read, and marvel at how your contribution is helping these small businesses dream big.
