An ethical and sustainable toy and gift business in Totnes has been named among the 海角视频’s most exciting start-ups.
The announcement was made at an event at the Houses of Parliament on October 23 with Good Things being rewarded with a £2,000 grant and a year of free business mentoring.
Good Things Gifts sells only sustainable and ethical toys and gifts from around the world.
One company from which owner Lucy Willoughby sources products retrieves plastic milk bottles from beaches where there is no recycling and manufactures them into toys.
Lucy believes she owns the only eco-friendly and ethical shop in the 海角视频 to sell children’s toys and gifts, mainly because they are mostly bought from charities. Lucy has pledged to donate 20 per cent of her profits to charity.
At the event, each business owner pitched to a panel of business experts including Simon Lancaster, founder of both SJL Insurance and the SJL Foundation, and former Dragon’s Den star and founder of gift experience company Red Letter Days, Rachel Elnaugh.
Lucy's passion for her business shone through in her application. Simon Lancaster, the founder and trustee of the SJL Foundation said: “We were impressed by the ethos of Good Things which delivers great gifts which are also kind to the environment, their manufactures and are also sustainable.
“Although we did not have any pre-conceived ideas, we were really impressed with the quality and variation of the merchandise.
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"The business has a positive impact that reaches far beyond the person receiving the gift and we knew we wanted to support that positivity and help Lucy to develop her business further. The combination of financial support and mentoring from the SJL foundation will help her to do this.”
“It feels incredible to win the SJL Foundation’s Start-Up Business competition,” Lucy said.
“This funding will allow me to reach a wider audience at a crucial time in the lead up to Christmas, and spread the word about the ethical and eco-friendly gifts for good that I sell in my online shop. This will provide a huge leap forward in my enterprise’s growth, and in turn support the work of the charities and small suppliers around the world whose products I stock.
"Accessing a year’s worth of free mentoring feels immensely helpful; I’ve started this business alone so having someone to discuss challenges with and share their expertise and experience is wonderful.”
Simon Lancaster continued: “I started SJL Insurance 18 years ago with two grants with the combined value of £500. I’d like to help others set up their own business, so I am launching the SJL Pay It Forwards movement, so that the story comes full circle.
“Each finalist had to agree before we accepted them as a finalist, to Pay It Forward so that they also help another start-up entrepreneur too. Before they help them, they must first get that start-up entrepreneurs agreement that they too agree to Pay It Forward, and before that entrepreneur mentors their future mentee they must get their mentee to also agree to Pay It Forward beforehand. From thereon in that is the pattern to be repeated in the future - and so the SJL Pay It Forward movement grows and grows for the good of communities across the nation.
The SJL Foundation plans to raise £100,000 in year one. 45% of proceeds will go to the SJL Foundation Start-Up business fund, 45% will go to Acorn’s children’s hospices and 10% will go into a staff pot to be match funded for SJL staff’s own charity endeavours.