Cally James, founder of Hippy Hut Pottery, a ceramics business that offers classes and commissions, is among 14 businesses announced as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors.

Hippy Hut Pottery hosts intimate workshops and hands-on classes for up to eight people, at bespoke studio in Bury St Edmunds. Beyond the studio, business owner Cally has scaled up the offer and now brings the art of pottery to life at corporate events across the UK, giving companies the chance to bring employees together to collaborate in creative ways away from their desks. The business was launched using a loan of £14,000 from BizBritain, which Cally used to purchase a new kiln and additional equipment to help her keep up with increasing demand for her workshops.

Having worked as a chef, a cake decorator and a teacher, and now in her early fifties, Cally felt the need for a change. She completed her MA in Fine Art and decided to follow her passion for pottery making and make it her full-time career.

The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its ninth year, celebrates inspiring UK business owners who have launched an enterprise using finance from the government-backed scheme. The Ambassadors have been selected as they demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and determination required to make a smaller business successful, and to provide inspiration for entrepreneurs across the UK.

Cally James, founder of Hippy Hut Potter, said: “Start Up Loans’ support was instrumental in bringing my Hippy Hut dream to fruition. For those standing where I once was, I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore what Start Up Loans can offer. Their team is dedicated to fuelling small business success, and their financial backing could be the key to unlocking your venture's potential. Take the leap, reach out to them, and you could be celebrating your own business establishment sooner than you think.”

This year, in addition to 12 Ambassadors drawn from each of the UK’s Nations and regions, two more Ambassadors have been selected. These business owners represent two important groups supported by the programme, who may face challenges in accessing finance elsewhere - one from the ex-forces community and the other from the 18-24 Gen Z age group.

Previous Start Up Loans Ambassadors have gone on to achieve considerable growth, such as Dash Water, NICE Drinks and UK Connect. One of the most successful scale-up businesses supported by a Start Up Loan is Castore, which at the end of 2023 had reached unicorn status with a valuation of $1bn.

The 2024 Ambassadors will be introduced at an event in central London that marks the start of a year-long programme which will see the new Ambassadors take part in a series of local and national activities, helping inspire and encourage aspiring start-up founders to take the leap into business ownership.

Louise McCoy, Commercial Managing Director of Small Business Lending at Start Up Loans, said: “I am delighted to welcome Cally James, founder of Hippy Hut Pottery as the new Ambassador for the East of England. She embodies the determination and drive that is required of a business owner in the current climate. I know that she will inspire others to follow their dream of becoming a business owner and I am very much looking forward to working with she and to help to share her story.”

Keith Stokes, Loan Proposer, BizBritain Finance commented: "We're thrilled to have supported Carolyne in bringing her vision of Hippy Hut Pottery to life in Suffolk. At BizBritain Finance, we believe in empowering passionate entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into reality. Carolyne's creativity and dedication are truly inspiring, and we're excited to see Hippy Hut Pottery thrive as a unique and vibrant addition to the local community."

Since its inception, the Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 115,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £1.1bn of finance. Of those loans, 40% of loan recipients have been women and 20% from Black, Asian, and Other Minority Ethnic backgrounds (not including White Minorities).

Through a network of business support partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides:
• access to pre-and-post loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan
• fixed-interest first and second loans of up to £25,000 to help recipients to start or grow their business
• mentoring support to help loan recipients with everything from cash flow to marketing.

As an official Business Support Partner for the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loan programme, BizBritain operates within a network of business support partners, delivering Start Up Loans in the range of £500 to £25,000 across the whole of the UK.