St Helens Chamber helps 500th female entrepreneur

St Helens Chamber is celebrating its latest milestone, after helping 500 women start businesses in the Borough.

The landmark was reached by Jan Williams, who has opened the Northwest Laser and Aesthetics Clinic on North John Street, St Helens with support from the Chamber.

The business, which uses lasers to remove unwanted hair as well as carrying out other cosmetic treatments, approached St Helens Chamber for support to start the business in St Helens, following the success of her clinic in Frodsham in Cheshire.

Jan has been allocated the support of a dedicated business mentor to support her through the first years of trading, and was awarded a start up grant of £5,000 to assist with initial costs.

Jan has already recruited one member of staff is looking to take on a receptionist in the near future.

Jan commented: "My mentor, Bob O’Connor has been brilliant. Having him and the Chamber behind me has made opening the business a lot simpler. I would certainly recommend getting in touch with St Helens Chamber for support and also the opportunities they provide for networking."

The Entrepreneur Kick Start programme, which is funded by the local Enterprise Growth Initiative, supported by St.Helens Council, provides start-up advice, free accountancy support for the first 12 months, ongoing business mentoring for the first three years, as well as grants from £200 to £5000.

Ann Holcroft, Business Start Manager at St Helens Chamber, added: "We are delighted to have reached this latest landmark. We work with many women from a range of backgrounds in the Borough who are looking to start a business and it is really rewarding to share in their successes."

"We offer a flexible service and any ladies who contact us have the option to meet with a female business adviser. We can also arrange meetings at a convenient location and time to suit you."

If you have an idea for a business and would like support to get your idea off the ground, call St Helens Chamber on 01744 742000 or visit http://www.sthelenschamber.com