THREE of the island’s new businesses have secured themselves £3,000 worth of free advertising with Isle of Man Newspapers each after winning a competition launched last year.
The three businesses – Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids, Checkout 14 Limited and Hazel Walsh Photography – came out as the front runners in the Business Accelerators contest which was judged by members of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce.
Karen Hanly of Checkout 14 was delighted to receive the news.
‘Wow. That’s excellent. I’ve no idea how many entered but it must have been quite a few,’ she said.
Karen’s business includes catering run from premises in Westmoreland Road and hair and beauty treatments at Salon Rouge in Demesne Road, as well as her latest enterprise: a women only gym which she hopes to open in May in time for her 41st birthday.
Artist and photographer Hazel Walsh was similarly overwhelmed
‘Fantastic. That’s brilliant,’ she said when she received the news.
Hazel, 27, has been the artist in residence at the Sayle Gallery in Douglas over recent months and is in post there until the spring.
Her recent exhibition of photographs of derelict buildings around the island – Mann Abandoned – was also complemented by a book.
She graduated in professional photographic imaging and has also taught photography at the Isle of Man College.
Lee Astin, 29 and his girlfriend Roxanne Mottram, 27, set up Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids in 2010.
The business offers haircuts for children as well as themed parties at their premises on Market Street in Douglas.
Since taking on the franchise, Lee has helped set up branches in the UK and Ireland.
‘That’s really good,’ he said on being told the news. ‘We weren’t expecting that at all, but it’s a really good feeling knowing all the hard work we put in is being rewarded.’
The competition is being run by regional newspapers around the British Isles in conjunction with the Newspaper Society, based in the UK.
It aims to give a boost to smaller and newer business enterprises and was open to any business based in the island which was between one and three years old.
The scheme has the backing of more than 500 newspaper publications and overall is expected to give a £15m boost to local businesses.
As well as free advertising, all winners will also receive free mentoring for a year from an expert in their field of business.
From all the regional winners, an overall winning business will be selected to receive a year’s mentoring from Dragon’s Den star and businesswoman Deborah Meaden.