A beauty salon and training academy in Coleshill is eyeing up expansion plans after receiving business support.
Faces Beauty Salon and Training Academy has celebrated its one-year anniversary in the town, which has seen the business expand its team and its client base.
The salon was launched by Stephanie Davey, who has eight years of experience in the beauty industry and previously worked from her home in Acocks Green while also teaching beauty part time at University College Birmingham. Having always known she wanted her own salon, Stephanie took the leap and opened on Coleshill’s High Street in December 2023 offering treatments including lashes, brows, microneedling and hair extensions as well running training and refresher courses in these areas.
Since then, the salon has welcomed seven self-employed hair and beauty therapists to add to the range of treatments offered, which now also includes facials, massages, aesthetics, laser therapy, hair and permanent jewellery.
Having never managed a business premises, Stephanie sought help through the Business Resilience and Growth programme, which is delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire’s five District and Borough Councils. She received one-to-one support from business advisor Jason Barnes who has helped to shape the business’s branding and marketing activities as well as provide advice on financial planning.
This has resulted in a steady increase in new clients and increased engagement online, with Stephanie now hoping to expand and open a second premises in the future.
Stephanie said:
“I’ve received an incredible amount of tailored support from Jason who has really helped me to drive the business forward.
When working self-employed from home I was very focused on my clients, but having a premises means I have so much more to think about while also maintaining a high standard of client experience. It’s been a whirlwind since I opened! Jason has supported me with branding, digital marketing, social media strategy and financial planning, and has also shown me the importance of upskilling myself which has really helped to grow my client base.
All of those in my team are self-employed, but my plan for the future is to open a second premises with employed members of staff and also grow the training school arm of the business.
With the economy as it is, we often have students looking to upskill themselves so that they can make some extra money or kick-start a new career. It’s a really exciting time for the salon and I’m looking forward to the years ahead.”
Jason said:
“I first met Stephanie at our Coleshill Business Event - she had recently moved to her High Street salon and was looking to grow the business. Lack of footfall was an issue, and she needed to improve her marketing to ensure that local people knew that she was there.
We established what her offering was and came up with a plan to improve her messaging and use of digital marketing to connect with her customer base.
The result has been much better interaction online and an increase in new clients. We have also discussed Stephanie’s aspirations for the future and how she can achieve these growth plans, and I look forward to seeing these come to fruition over the coming years.”
Dave Ayton-Hill, Director of Economy and Place at Warwickshire County Council, said:
"Business Growth Warwickshire supports businesses with bespoke guidance and information to help them adapt, grow and to reach their potential. The work that has been done with Stephanie highlights the real difference such support can make to business, and it is great to hear about the impact it has had on helping Stephanie increase her client base and set her future growth plans.”
Steve Maxey, Chief Executive at North Warwickshire Borough Council, said:
“I am delighted that a North Warwickshire based business has been able to grow and flourish thanks to North Warwickshire Borough Council’s support of the Business Growth Warwickshire programme, which is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”
The Business, Resilience and Growth Programme is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (via Warwickshire’s five District and Borough Councils) and Warwickshire County Council.
To find out more about business support programmes available and your businesses eligibility please contact Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub on 0300 060 3747 or visit the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub website.
Business Growth Warwickshire Programme
The £4.6 million Business Growth Warwickshire Programme, developed and commissioned jointly by Warwickshire County Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council, is designed to engage with over 2,000 businesses, more than 500 of which will receive intensive, bespoke support. The programme, funded by the UK Government (through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via the five district and borough councils) and £500,000 from Warwickshire County Council, will play a major role in strengthening small and medium sized businesses across Warwickshire in the short to medium terms. An additional £1.3 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is expected to be available to boost the Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service.
It includes six strands:
- Warwickshire Business Start-Up Programme
- Warwickshire Business Resilience and Growth Programme
- Business Ready - Warwickshire High Growth and Innovation Programme
- Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service
- Warwickshire Manufacturing Growth Programme
- Project Warwickshire – Visitor Economy and Hospitality Support Programme.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
£2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which succeeds the old EU structural funds. This money will go straight to local places right across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to invest in three local priorities; communities and place, support for local businesses and people and skills. For more information visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus