NEWS & EVENTS
National news
Combining safety with style, Cornish-based business moves into fifth gear
11.09.07
Sally Dickinson, a female entrepreneur based in Boscastle, has launched "Love My Car", filling the gap in the market for practical car accessories for women. The new business has a high growth potential to achieve a turnover of £1m in five years.
Love My Car was created after Sally's two daughters passed their driving tests, and when looking to buy a gift to celebrate, she found there was little available for women in a very male orientated environment. This observation sowed the seed for a business idea that has now turned into reality.
Beautifully packaged in a stylish gift box, the first Love My Car Product, the "Make me safer" pack, contains practical products such as a map book, oil, windscreen washer, advice sheet, safety hammer, emergency phone charger, air freshener, de-icer and ice scraper.
The business has already attracted overseas interest from Greece, Italy and Spain.
Love My Car got a kick start when Sally entered a competition in the Daily Telegraph run by Cornwall Pure Business, the county's inward investment team and Business Link. The prize was business mentoring.
Sally explains: "I knew very little about cars so needed to know where to start. I carried out focus groups to develop a brand and wrote a business plan around the concept to enter into The Daily Telegraph competition."
The concept was short-listed and Sally found herself pitching her idea to former Bank of England Governor Lord George; Sir John Banham; Richard Tyler, Enterprise Editor, Daily Telegraph; Robin Tye, Vice President Communications and Industrial Sectors, IBM Global Services; and Henry Ashworth of Watergate Bay. As a winner of the competition Sally received mentoring from Sir John Banham, who gave invaluable advice and encouragement to turn the concept into a business.
Sally invested her own capital in the business and also received financial support and guidance from a former work colleague, Alison Harrison, now a business partner in the company.
Sally has benefited from a range of business support available in the county. As well as the competition panel she pitched to, Sally worked with N J Akers, the IP Practitioners to secure the company's trademark, Follett Stock to assist with the company's terms and conditions, and the firm's accountants, Winter Rule.
If you are interest in Love My Car or any of its products go to www.love-my-car.co.uk
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About Cornwall Pure Business
Cornwall Pure Business (CPB) is designed as a red carpet service to target and attract inward investment in key sectors through a co-ordinated one stop service for businesses. The service helps relocators to source locations and business premises; grants and loans; secure IT, telecoms and broadband and provides advice on recruitment, training and education. Additionally, CPB is able to facilitate meetings with key personnel in local and regional institutions who can provide businesses with valuable input and further support. Cornwall Pure Business, is a service of Cornwall Enterprise and jointly funded by European Objective One and Cornwall County Council.
Cornwall Pure Business is a service of Cornwall Enterprise