The Palm of Feronia founder tells us how StartUp UK has helped her gauge her strengths and weaknesses and assess where she might need assistance.

How StartUp UK was invaluable to this one-woman business

Member stories

 is Enterprise Nation's scheme to provide free tailored support to budding entrepreneurs.

Backed by the UK government and Monzo Business, the programme delivers initiatives such as e-learning, online training, national events and flagship annual conferences throughout the UK.

As the scheme continues to run, we're talking to some of the businesses that have been taking part, to hear how it's benefited them so far. Here, we talk to 

, a natural self-care brand focused on the ancient principles of aromatherapy and crystal healing.

How did you come up with your business idea?

, but through making products for myself and my family and friends, it took on a life of its own.

As a business with a heavier split towards B2B2C (business-to-business-to-consumer), I'm working on growing my D2C (direct-to-consumer) channel, 

StartUp UK 

What challenges were you facing before you found StartUp UK?

 in my skills and ability to run a business.

Not just through learning and developing personally, but understanding my strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to make the most of my strong points, while 

. As opposed to burying my head in the sand, which can be all too easy to do!

What made you decide to use StartUp UK's support to tackle those challenges?

I saw it could help me gain a handle on my finances. For example, understanding 

, knowing what financial data to keep an eye on, etc. Being able to sensibly forecast is a skill I've never honed, but I now feel I have the format and understanding to 

How has the StartUp UK programme benefited you and your business so far?

 in particular have helped me focus on the blind spots within my business without the cost of having to hire outside contractors.

It's helped me to gauge strengths and weaknesses, assess where I might need assistance and upskill in areas I can continue to develop in-house. As a bootstrapped, one-woman business, this has been invaluable and really helped boost my confidence.

Finally, what would your advice be for aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

StartUp UK: Turn your good idea into a great business

 for resources that give you the education and inspiration to get started on your entrepreneurial journey.

Sophia Harding, founder of Palm of Feronia, in her rustic-style kitchen mixing ingredients for her skincare products

How StartUp UK's support was invaluable to this self-funded, one-woman business

The Palm of Feronia founder on how StartUp UK helped her upskill and assess where she might need assistance.

Enterprise Nation has helped thousands of people start and grow their businesses. Led by founder, Emma Jones CBE, Enterprise Nation connects you to the resources and expertise to help you succeed.

Go export: Unlocking global B2B e-commerce with Alibaba.com

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I am on a mission to level out the international playing field for ESL entrepreneurs by developing their marketing communications in English and helping them build global brands. I CAN HELP YOU IF: ?? You&apos;re a non-native English-speaking business owner (with or without a team) who wants to sell services internationally. ?? You&apos;re a non-native English-speaking business owner (with or without a team) who wants to sell services to a specific English-speaking market. WHAT YOU&apos;LL GET: ?? Get visible and credible in the international market and build meaningful relationships with English-speaking audiences. ?? Stand out globally in your niche and be recognised as a go-to expert in your field to attract international speaking opportunities as well as English-speaking clients. ?? We achieve this by helping you implement a variety of strategies that build your brand equity. WHAT IS BRAND EQUITY AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE: Brand equity represents the power of a brand - that&apos;s what allows T-shirts with certain logos to cost 10 times more than others, for example. WHY CHOOSE ME: ?? I&apos;ve helped service-based businesses from 18 countries build brands that attract and engage English-speaking international audiences. ?? My methods are based on the brand equity framework developed by the father of branding, David Aaker in 1990, which has been used by millions of businesses to build strong brands. ?? I&apos;ve been recognised for my contribution to the field of marketing and advertising by Marketing 2.0 - the Global Gathering of Brand Builders and Marketers - with an Outstanding Leadership Award. ?? I graduated top of my class with Distinction from my MSc in International Marketing, and my dissertation on brand equity building for services was one of the strongest research pieces of the year. ?? I am a guest lecturer in Strategic Brand Management at Edinburgh Napier University and a trusted brand strategy guest expert at the Business Gateway, the largest organisation supporting start-ups in the UK. ?? I am a business owner and the brand manager of my company that markets internationally. ?? I have lived in 7 different countries, so I have a great understanding of intercultural communication. GET IN TOUCH: Currently, only EN-ABLE provides brand strategy consulting specifically for non-native English speakers who want to attract English-speaking clients and operate internationally. Want to create a global impact and be paid generously for it? Send me a message to get started!

Award-Winning Brand Strategist and Co-Founder

Entrepreneurs who speak English as a second language 

Boost your engagement with English-speaking audiences to increase revenue and drive business growth.



Helping you to realise substantially increased profit and cash from your business.
I will help you to assess, and hence increase, Competitiveness by considering how you perform across the 5 key Themes: Quality, Price, Delivery, Unique Value and Ethical Performance. You will increase Competitiveness by understanding and closing your Capability gaps, particularly those that chiefly have a high impact on your own key Themes. Peter has excellent networking and communication skills underpinned by the presence, self-confidence and credibility necessary to be effective. He has extensive experience in people management, business process re-design, service improvement, business model innovation and collaboration.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peterkarranpsi_business-growth-helptogrow-activity-7022671636281610240-EONn/

Helping You to Grow

Grow - Initial Consultation

95% of UK businesses are Micro. There are over 5 million of us employing less than 10 people.
HM Government Help to Grow Management is designed to take our business to the next level. It will cost us £750 to develop our Growth Plan.
Seems reasonable; but most of us are time poor. We cannot afford to give up a week of our precious time over 3 months just to get to a plan.
So here is a reliable method… to enable us to grow…it only takes about an hour

Hi, I&apos;m Helen, Founder and Director of Impact People Consulting.
I started Impact in August 2023 after 18 years in HR, working in a variety of organisations from tech startups through to global financial institutions.
The one constant in my career has been my people-centric approach and this is why I started Impact.
I support Micro and Small businesses achieve their objectives through the power of their people.
I offer services to include Talent Acquisition &amp; Employer Branding, Employee Engagement &amp; Organisation Culture, HR policies, processes &amp; strategies, and Organisation Design.

Founder and Director

Helen Todd

Hi, I&apos;m Helen, Founder and Director of Impact People Consulting.
I started Impact in August 2023 after 18 years in HR, working in a variety of organisations from tech startups through to global financial institutions.
The one constant in my career has been my people-centric approach and this is why I started Impact.
I support Micro and Small businesses achieve their objectives through the power of their people.
I offer services to include Talent Acquisition &a

How StartUp UK's support was invaluable to this self-funded, one-woman business

How did you come up with your business idea?

Download our free StartUp UK guides

What challenges were you facing before you found StartUp UK?

What made you decide to use StartUp UK's support to tackle those challenges?

How has the StartUp UK programme benefited you and your business so far?

Finally, what would your advice be for aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

Access support to start your business

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