Stockport entrepreneur to expand online beauty business with £10k funding

Stockport entrepreneur Lydia Hughes is looking to make a splash in the online beauty market with five-figure funding from the Stockport Business Finance Scheme.

The former administrative assistant will use a £10k loan from the scheme, supplied by Business Finance Solutions (BFS), to expand her business’ product range, secure new warehouse premises, improve her website and invest in digital marketing.

Lydia is the brains behind online beauty company Ditzy Doll, which launched in 2016 and started out selling niche eyelash products, eventually expanding into lips, nails, hair, jewellery, glitter and tanning products.

Today, Ditzy Doll stocks products from beauty brands W7, Technic and Paint Glow.

With the funding, Lydia plans to introduce new content to her website, including makeup tutorial videos, and launch a range of seasonal group parties and pamper packages.

Lydia said: “Make-up and beauty have played a big part in my life for many years and now, thanks to the loan I’ve received from the Stockport Enterprise Loan scheme, I have the support I need to make Ditzy Doll a major online retail brand.

“Sales of health and beauty products have never been higher and the popularity of beauty vloggers in particular is encouraging more and more people to seek products out online.”

She added: “With Ditzy Doll, I want to make these brands available to everyone, building it into a lifestyle brand that will become a real hub for beauty and make-up lovers.”

BFS loan officer Xiao Liu commented: “Like many of the start up companies we support, Lydia has taken her passion and turned it into a highly effective business idea.

“The online beauty market is booming with a reported 31% increase year-on-year and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Stockport Council to help Lydia on the next stage of her growth journey.”

Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration, Cllr Kate Butler, said: “It’s fantastic to see that this partnership is helping Ditzy Doll grow and become a thriving business – we look forward to continue to work with Lydia and help her business become a major online retail brand.

“The Stockport Business Finance Scheme is a great opportunity which enables ambitious, hardworking entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into reality, employ people and boost communities – all factors that are critical to the future of our local economy.”

BFS, part of the Manchester Growth Company, will see £15m allocated to new startups across the North West over a two-year period, creating around 3,000 new businesses and more than 5,000 jobs in the region.

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