LCE loan helps Mari to fulfil her mission to improve mums' wellbeing
A Local Community and Enterprise Fund loan, delivered by Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust for Warwickshire County Council, enabled Mari Carmen to take her business, Mari Carmen Fitness, to the next level. "I would encourage any local business to apply," she says. "It’s an easy process and can improve your business immensely." Here she explains more.
Mari Carmen, founder of Mari Carmen Fitness, is a personal trainer who specialises in ante-natal and post-natal physical and mental wellbeing. Among other qualifications, she has a background in Paediatric Nursing and, as a mother of two, strives to empower mums to reach their Fitness, Health and Wellness goals.
Tell us about your business...
"Our mission is to improve mums' well-being by providing highly specialised and customised fitness and nutrition services. As a mum myself I know how challenging it is to meet your goals. That’s why I have created my programmes with a sustainable approach. This way mums can implement healthy new habits without causing disruption to their routines. I love what I do and love seeing my clients become more confident, healthier, and happier."
How did CWRT help your business?
"We received a loan from Warwickshire County Council’s new Local Community and Enterprise Fund (LCE). We had a session with Tracy who discussed our financial options and it was determined that the LCE Fund suited our needs. Tracy has been very helpful and supported us throughout the application process, which we are very grateful for. We are using the loan to develop an app which will give us a wider reach. We want to help as many mums as we can and having an app will mean even more mums can access our support."
The LCE is one of the new finance strands that forms part of the Warwickshire County Council’s Warwickshire Recovery & Investment Fund. WCC plans to invest £10m into this strand with the aim of supporting the economic recovery and future growth of Warwickshire.
The LCE Fund is specifically designed to support micro businesses, smaller businesses, new business start-ups, early phase businesses and social enterprises. Loans are available from £1,000 to £100,000 with a maximum term of 60 months. To be eligible to apply for LCE Finance, your business must be registered in Warwickshire, or you must be in the process of relocating to the Warwickshire region. So, if you’ve been unable to raise finance from your bank or other mainstream providers or need additional finance to top up what you have secured, then the LCE Fund may be for you.
CWRT chief executive Sheridan Sulskis said: "Given the recent low statistics of women in business and women accessing finance, it is great to see Mari Carmen Fitness expanding. Mari’s drive to support other mums is inspirational and CWRT was delighted to be able to support her investment in an app that will expand her customer reach and help her grow her business.
"CWRT’s mission is to enrich the local community by supporting businesses like Mari-Carmen Fitness. We are part of the Women’s Code, and strive to support women in business and close the gender gap. CWRT is devoted to tackling local disparity in the market by offering these dedicated loan and business support packages specifically designed to support these SMEs through volatile markets and tightening credit conditions.
Cllr Martin Watson, Warwickshire's portfolio holder for economy, said: "Mari Carmen Fitness embodies what we are looking to achieve through the LCE. It is a small enterprise with real social value; one that will benefit new or recent mothers, a demographic that statistics indicate might need additional support in achieving well-being."
To apply you can call CWRT team on 02476 551 777 or enquire on https://www.cwrt.uk.com/applylce
* The LCE runs in parallel with the £90 million Business Investment Growth pillar of the Warwickshire Recovery and Investment Fund (WRIF) which offers debt finance to medium and larger businesses. For more information, please visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wrif