Heavy Petal Florist

Starting a new business can be daunting but if you have the ample experience and the proper support, success may be closer than you think, as Limavady-based florist Tanya Smyth found out when she set up her business “Heavy Petal Florist”.

Tanya always had a keen interest in flowers and flower arrangementments. Motivated on feedback from close family and friends Tanya recently decided to go about setting up her own business on a full-time basis. The first step for Tanya was to get speaking to some of the Business Advisors from the Roe Valley Enterprise Agency, who explained how participating in Invest Northern Ireland’s Regional Start Initiative could help her make those dreams a reality.

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“I always thought about opening my own business but wasn’t sure how” explains Tanya, “I didn’t know what, where or how, I just knew I wanted to run my own business! Once Tanya had spoken to a business advisor, she suddenly became more confident within herself and began belieiving that she could actually turn her dream into a reality. Tanya explains “Once I had spoken to a business advisor and was reassured that I had the ability to start my own business, it gave me the confidence I needed to start putting measures in place to get the business off the ground. My biggest task initially was sourcing suitable business premises!” 

Business start-up support 

Before launching her new venture, Tanya took advantage of the business start-up support offered through the Regional Start Initiative, which included advice and expertise on business planning, financial forecasts and marketing. “The business planning was great, it helped me to plan ahead and focus on important issues, including legal issues and financial aspects of the business.”

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“Taking part in the programme boosted my confidence to start something I had a passion for and enjoyed doing. I am pleased to say my business is doing really well and despite being busy I can easily fit work around my family needs. The “Heavy Petal Florist” has now been officially open for almost 6 months, and has already surpassed initial financial projections for the first 6 months, almost doubling the initial projections. 

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Practical advice I needed

“While I think a lot of my success is down to being creative, offering bespoke arrangements and being friendly with customers I know that the training and support I received through the Regional Start Programme (Go For It) has helped me start on a sound footing. The programme provided me with all the practical advice I needed – from marketing to finances – and, thankfully, gave me the belief to literally go for it!”

“The support I received from Roe Valley Enterprise Agency has been first class. It’s wonderful having people locally that you can contact if there is something that you need assistance with or who can provide you with the reassurance and advice you need.”

The Regional Start Initiative is funded by Invest Northern Ireland and delivered by Enterprise Northern Ireland and its network of regional delivery partners. The Regional Start Initiative is provided in the Limavady and surroudning areas by Roe Valley Enterprise Agency.

Anyone living in Limavady, Dungiven and the surrounding areas interested in starting a business can log on to: www.goforitni.com for more information or call Roe Valley Enterprise Agency on 028 777 62323 to speak to a business advisor.

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