Young Middlesbrough entrepreneur motors along after Start-Up Loan

A young Middlesbrough entrepreneur has launched a luxury valet company thanks to £6,000 investment from Start-Up Loans North East and Cumbria.

Superior Shine is the second successful business for 21-year-old managing director, Haider Akbar, who spotted a gap in the market earlier this year and now boasts several taxi firms among his corporate clients.

After securing the investment Haider was able to employ three staff at his showroom on Marton Road.

He explained: “Superior Shine offers far more than just a car wash. It is one of the few full detailing services in the Middlesbrough area. We aim to return cars to our customers in showroom condition.

“Cars have been a hobby of mine since I was 12-years-old and I’ve been involved in the motor trade for a long time. We realise not everyone needs a full valet service, so we pride ourselves on offering a range of treatments and services to suit everyone.

“I had some savings which I used to set up the business, but thanks to the support from Start-Up Loans, I can put more into promoting Superior Shine than I would otherwise have been able to.

“I would urge anyone who has a business idea, no matter how developed it is, to find out more about the initiative as it offers far more than just funding.”

The Start-Up Loans scheme in the North East and Cumbria is delivered through a consortium including Virgin Money, Virgin Unite, The Northern Rock Foundation (NRF) and Project North East (PNE) – with PNE being the consortium partner responsible for arranging and making the loans.

The scheme continues to open doors for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30 who have a great business idea. Loans range from £500 to £25,000 with new ‘Lean Start-Up Loans’, of up to £1,000 ,aimed at those who would like to carry out market research before launching, or need a bit of a push to begin trading.

With funding still to be awarded in the North East and Cumbria during 2013, successful applicants can benefit from Virgin Money’s mentoring support and Project North East’s many years’ working specifically with young business people.

To find out more about the Start-Up Loans scheme in the North East, as well as the new ‘Lean’ loans and how to apply, young entrepreneurs should visit www.startuploansnortheast.co.uk.