Chancellor George Osborne visits MediaCityUK-based Start Up Loans ambassador

A marketing firm in Greater Manchester received a visit from Chancellor George Osborne recently, as its owner prepares to represent successful UK startups for the launch of the Start Up Loans Company’s (SULCo) new Ambassador Programme.

Stewart Hilton, from Knutsford in Cheshire, founded MediaCityUK-based agency Zeal Creative in 2014 with £10k from the government-backed SULCo.

Since then, Zeal has seen its turnover pass the £1.8m mark and is now aiming to double that figure over the next 12 months.

Stewart commented: “Support from the Start Up Loans Company was essential in enabling Zeal Creative to launch and since then we have grown from strength to strength. It’s an honour to be recognised as a standout business by an initiative that helps so many innovative and hardworking people make their dreams a reality.

“Through my role as ambassador I’ll be working to encourage start-up business owners to bear in mind that there are a range of funding options out there to support them at every stage of their growth journey, even if they’re already set up.”

Stewart is one of six startup owners picked to attend a reception at the Houses of Parliament on June 8, where a panel discussion will take place featuring the CEO of SULCo, Tim Sawyer, along with senior ministers, MPs and representatives of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who is the MP for Tatton, said: “Zeal Creative is a real local success story and entrepreneurs like Stewart are the lifeblood of the Northern Powerhouse.

“It’s very encouraging that the Start Up Loans programme the Government launched is helping people like him.”

He continued: “I am so pleased that in return he will be helping fledgling businesses across the UK and using his experiences to encourage more creative people with great ideas to set up their own businesses.”

Zeal currently employs 18 people and has worked with a number of national and international firms, including cereal giant Kellogg’s, Swiss food and beverage company Nestlé and supermarket chain Asda.

SULCo CEO Tim Sawyer said: “The launch of our Ambassador Programme is an opportunity to pay tribute to those entrepreneurial individuals who have taken the steps to launch their own businesses.

“Starting out on your own is no mean feat, but businesses like Zeal Creative are proof that it can be done. What budding business owners in the UK need to remember is there are multiple support networks out there to make it a far less daunting experience, and provide the guidance and support necessary to help you make your start-up goals a reality.”