Thanks to our F100 Growth Fund in partnership with Sky, eleven Black-owned businesses received funding in 2023. We asked some of our 2023 success stories to share their journey of their businesses and how they found the F100 Growth Fund experience.
Read Natel from Telle Moi’s story.
1. What is your name and background?
My name is Natel Allen. My parents were born in St Vincent and St Kitts, and I was born and grew up in East London. Although we were not poor by any means, my father passed away when I was 11 which had a significant impact on our household. My father was a business owner and that had inspired me to follow in his footsteps.
2. Tell us about your business and how you started it. Have you always wanted to become a business owner? Where did the idea for your business come from?
I had always wanted to have my own business, but had no idea what I wanted to start it in. Which is ironic because my current business started quite organically. I am a self-confessed DIY-er and for ages I couldn’t find a nail polish colour that I liked or suited my skin tone. I started to research and discovered that I could buy supplies and make my own nail polishes. I created myself a collection which I loved and wore frequently, I then started to make them for friends and family. After a while I started to list shades on an online platform, and it grew from there.
3. How did you come across BEO’s F100 Growth Fund programme?
After building the business, I was fortunate to be able to appear on Dragons’ Den and although I did not receive investment, a lot of my followers started looking out and sending opportunities to me in order to help me grow, and it was one of my followers on Instagram which sent me the F100 Growth Fund opportunity. It really is a key point that supporting your friends’ businesses never has to be solely about spending financially.
4. What made you want to apply for it?
I was pretty defeated after being rejected on Dragons’ Den, but after the support from our customers, friends and family, they encouraged me to keep going and to submit an application. Also I read through some of the businesses from the first cohort and felt like BEO really supported and gave guidance in order to help businesses scale. Although funding is great, I was struggling more so to figure out the direction of my business and how to take it to the next level.
5. What have been the key benefits of joining the F100 Growth Fund?
For me the key benefits of joining the F100 Growth Fund, was having a network, of mentors and entrepreneurs. We were such a diverse group of businesses and that really helped me expand my knowledge outside of my own ‘category’ of business. I reviewed my whole operations process after discussing with another business about their own strategy and I have developed so many amazing relationships. I am still close to and keep in touch with my mentor from the programme too, she has introduced me to her network, which have been people that I would never have had the opportunity to speak to normally. The funding allowed me to put this strategy into practice and put my business in a position to scale.
6. What would be your top tip for any business owners out there looking to apply to our next cohort of our F100 Growth Fund programme?
My top tip would be to really demonstrate your passion for your business and to tell your story about everything you’ve dedicated to get your business up and running. Businesses can be so easily replicated, but your hard work and resilience is what makes your business stand out.
