bluebella
© 2018 bluebella. e - commerce by wemakewebsites bluebella® is a registered trademark of bluebella ltd. registered company 5566892 .
bluebella was founded in 2005 and is stocked by retailers including selfridges, urltoken and figleaves .
but surely there would have been something to catch ann widdecombe’s eye in the bluebella lingerie catalogue .
lingerie firm bluebella has appointed former wacoal europe ceo tracy lewis as a non - executive director .
above: bluebella fifty shades of grey black label collection’s tie cuff and soft open bandeau bra .
bluebella is now sold in 20 countries and is stocked in selfridges, house of fraser and next .
bluebella, creator of fifty shades of grey lingerie, secures £1m through crowdfunding | city a. m .
emily bendell got funding for her lingerie business, bluebella. com, through addidi business angels, an investment club
british lingerie company bluebella teamed up with writer e l james to create the collection taking inspiration from her bestselling erotic novels .
bluebella have launched the first collection this summer in the hope it will become a must - have stocking filler at christmas .
but miss widdecombe handed the gong to a fellow judge to present after apparently realising the significance of the ‘blue’ in bluebella .
the enduring popularity of el james’s racy novels and subsequent film boosted bluebella, which supplies a fifty shades range to tesco .
bluebella founder emily bendell said:' this collection was inspired by the deeply erotic journey of discovery between christian and ana .
bluebella ltd, a fast - growing direct sales lingerie and sensual products retailer, has successfully completed its first major financing round .
the newly raised funds will allow bluebella to grow their party plan sales force into a national network and further develop their product offering .
“this investment round was an opportunity for me to add strength to our already impressive management team and advisory board” said bluebella’s founder emily bendell .
‘bluebella is all about empowering women and that’s one of the reasons i was so proud to receive the award on behalf of our female workforce .
bluebella was f ounded in 2005 by oxford graduate bendell, with a mission to inspire female confidence and break outdated british attitudes to sex and sensuality .
emily started bluebella, a quality and affordable lingerie brand, with 24 years old after working in a lingerie shop and realising how successful the business was .
the fashion - led black label set from bluebella features caging and harnessing and, as the author describes, is' luxurious, provocative and elegantly erotic' .
bluebella is designed to be a playful yet provocative brand designed to offer women luxurious products at an affordable price. we can’t wait to see it on sale in selfridges .
bluebella turned to its fans for help funding an expansion to the us, and reached a grand total of £1, 088, 700 by the time the campaign ended .
lingerie brand bluebella tripled its sales to £3. 7m and moved into profit in 2014 on the back of the success of book and film series fifty shades of grey .
emily bendell, chief executive and founder of bluebella, said:' the' fifty shades effect' has benefited our business and the books have played a significant role in shifting perceptions of female sensuality .
we talked to the founder of lingerie brand bluebella about how she managed to set up her own lingerie company at just 24, her invite to buckingham palace and that fifty shades of grey underwear range .
bluebella is one of the uk’s fastest growing lingerie brands, which is currently stocked in major online retailers like asos and figleaves. the move into selfridges see the brands enter the high street for the first time .
crowdfunding is simply when a company invites investment from a large group of people. we have chosen crowdfunding because it means that anyone can invest which means we can give everyone who loves bluebella a slice of the action !
bluebella, founded by oxford university economics graduate emily bendell, burst into the black — making a profit of £347, 000 in 2014 against a £430, 300 loss the previous year. sales tripled to £3. 7 million .
bluebella was founded by oxford university graduate emily bendell, 32, who left her job editing a legal journal to launch the label which is now one of britain' s fastest growing lingerie brands, sold in debenhams and selfridges .
selfridges is renowned for luxury brands and high price tags, but you’ll soon be able to shop bluebella’s affordable luxury lingerie collection in the london store as the brand becomes the latest uk label to be added to the department store’s range .
we are social and love nothing more than seeing our designs lighting up instagram on our beautiful and creative customers. send us your favourite looks or show us how you style your bluebella at # mybluebella. there is nothing we love more !
bluebella founder emily bendell said: “this collection was inspired by the deeply erotic journey of discovery between christian and ana. bondage - inspired strap detailing and cut out panelling combine with delicate luxe sheer mesh to create a powerfully provocative look. ”
founded in 2005 by emily bendell, the story and vision for the brand was simple. fashion - led luxurious lingerie and nightwear collections made with the highest quality at an affordable price. bluebella is a lingerie brand with strength and modernity at its heart; designed to redefine sensuality .
listen up gorgey gang, we' re looking for a part time freelance copywriter! ooo er. to apply you must have experience and you must be based in london pretty please. for more info email pr @ bluebella. com. thanks honies you' re the bee' s knees
in the uk, bluebella is stocked by asos, house of fraser, and urban outfitters. the brand has already secured deals with nordstrom and bare necessities to stock their products in america. they plan to ramp up advertising next year in order to sell 10, 000 bras a month stateside .
bendell was undeterred by the economic instability that might come along with a trump presidency, saying that, “he is pro - business and decreased taxes should boost consumer spending – and there has never been a better time for an empowered and forward - thinking brand like bluebella to hit the us. ”
oxford graduate bendell left her job to start bluebella when she was just 24. since then the company has won a string of awards including boudoir brand of the year at the 2015 uk lingerie awards. sales are already expected to hit £1. 7m this year, growing to £4. 7m next year thanks to the us expansion .
tell us your five - year goal. i believe bluebella has the makings of a global brand. we’re working hard to make that happen. we already sell in the us, australia, france and italy. i want blueblla to be the first name that comes to mind when a woman thinks ‘oh, i’d like a little treat for myself’ .
the great thing about this brand, in our opinion, is the quality / price ratio. bluebella’s collection is all about ‘erotic chic’ – you can choose just how erotic you want to go – and you can pick up some lingerie set for under £50. the brand is also the uk and ireland licence holder for the fifty shades of grey lingerie line .
“the bluebella woman does not see lingerie as a functional or traditionally sexy purchase. she sees it as fashion crossover style and a personal self - indulgence. no - one should leave gorgeous lingerie languishing in a drawer, waiting for that ‘special occasion’ – our highly wearable fashion - led collections can make every day feel just that little bit more exciting” emily bendell founder and ceo
selfridges will stock a capsule collection of classic bluebella styles such as the lace and mesh brooke basque (£42) and the vivienne bra (£35), brief (£18) and suspender (£28). for spring / summer 2o14 this collection will also be available in a gorgeous navy and black option, and a basque will be added to the range, available from march .
we’re always obsessing over our work / life balance – how do you manage it? i’ll admit my work / life balance is terrible. i hardly ever don’t work on an evening or weekend and i am yet to take a holiday this year. it’s probably not healthy nor productive, but things are so busy and exciting at bluebella right now i figure there is time to worry about that later .
marketing campaign of the year - dare to bare - lingerie insight awards in september 2017, to mark london fashion week, we wanted to celebrate our love of our city and our unique approach to life and fashion with a very special catwalk show... so we dared our instagram family to take part in a bluebella fashion show in the most iconic of london hotspots: oxford circus. find out more here. this campaign won the lingerie insight award' marketing campaign of the year' for 2017 .
how would you say bluebella lingerie empowers women? for too long lingerie has been immersed in ‘dressing up for your man’ but to me, lingerie is a luxurious self - indulgence and self - expression. it’s what you wear closest to your skin, it’s a delicious secret that only you know about, so it has the power to make you feel more confident and beautiful. and actually, it’s that confidence that then make you sexier, not the actual lingerie! i’ll wear an extra special set if i have a big meeting at work, or special social event – it doesn’t matter whether he sees it or not – it’s about how it makes me feel. we design with real women in mind and at £40 / set our product is affordable .
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18 to 24 - year - olds to gain access to startup loans and expert, personal support to help develop business plans and access training .
an £82. 5 million startup loan scheme is to be launched today that will give our next generation of entrepreneurs the finance and support to potentially start over 30 thousand new businesses, in a move to boost enterprise and economic growth .
any young people aged 18 - 24 accessing the startup loans can expect to receive expert and personal support to help develop a business plan and access training. where the business plan is robust and approved, they will be able to access financial support in the form of a loan typically in the order of £2, 500 with a repayment period of up to five years .
it comes on the day that lord young’s report on enterprise is published which shows that if we had the same rates of entrepreneurship as the us than we would have 900, 000 more businesses in the uk. lord young sets out the strength, diversity and growth of small businesses in recent years, a clear contrast to the bolton report of 1971 which predicted small businesses were in long - term decline .
that with the internet and the support available from the government and private sector, it is now easier than it has ever been to start a business, quicker to grow and possible to sell globally from your front room .
i want this to be the year where people can think yes, i can do it, that we can get as many viable businesses as possible off the ground, that people can have a go, and that we see a whole new wave of entrepreneurs who start small but think big .
startup loans are a fantastic opportunity for young people, not only to get the financial support they need, but also to give them the confidence to believe they can do it, that they can turn that of an idea into the next global brand .
i would like to thank lord young for his thorough report into the sme sector. his enthusiasm, drive and tenacity to make sure we are doing everything we can to support business and promote enterprise is a credit to us all. there can be no better inspiration of the ‘can do’ spirit that is needed in business than lord young; and his report is a must read for anyone thinking of starting up .
thirty years ago small businesses were in decline, now we have record numbers, with many tens of thousands starting each year, they are the engine room of our economy and critical to future economic growth .
but we cannot be complacent, now more than ever we have got to get behind our small businesses and encourage even more people to seize the opportunities and support that there is to start up on their own .
many young people already have the drive and ambition to create a business, yet don’t know how to put this into action. my report will connect them to the support they need and the new startup loan will mean that thousands of young people can now get access to advice and funding .
startup loans will transform the enterprise potential of a new generation, just as the enterprise allowance scheme transformed a generation in the 1980s .
it is great news that we have so many young people in the uk looking to get into business and start their own enterprise. giving young entrepreneurs the tools they need to start and grow a business is an essential part of boosting the uk economy .
by investing in young people now, we have a great chance of creating the entrepreneurs who can become tomorrow’s success stories. however, it is not just about money. it is about creating the whole package for young entrepreneurs, training, mentoring, business planning and help to access finance. startup loans will help young people achieve all of these goals and give them an early and exciting chance to realise their personal and business potential .
startup loans will be administered by a range of organisations that have experience in working with young people, including the prince’s trust and manchester - based economic solutions group. these delivery partners will be responsible for providing start - up support, for assessing the business plan, for making the loan and for managing repayment .
james caan, one of the uk’s best known entrepreneurs, has agreed to chair a new body to oversee the allocation of funds and to work with delivery partners to ensure the young people gain the maximum benefit from the support and finance on offer .
the startup loans initiative provides guidance, access to expertise, and finance. these are the three vital ingredients for starting your own business. armed with all of these, young people are already on the way to shaping their own future .
from today young people looking for support and finance through the startup loans can register at urltoken or urltoken where they will receive regular updates and information, including on new delivery partners .
startup britain will be working with a range of partners throughout the summer to raise awareness of this support, including a uk bus tour with business mentors on board, and events in towns and cities around the country .
lord young’s report on enterprise sets out the enterprise landscape, and the considerable changes in the structure of business there has been over the last few decades. with the trend starting in the eighties with the break up of large firms and the growth of small firms, it has now been transformed by the internet. that this shift in the dynamic of how business is conducted is still evolving and that the influence of social media will become even more important in the world of business .
the report sets out why it is a great time to start a business, with a wide variety of support, advice and encouragement available from the public and private sectors. it includes a guide aimed at people of all ages and background to offer them confidence and encouragement, including guidance on where to go to get help to make a sound business idea happen. this includes :
a new home business guide which provides clear guidance on setting up a business from home and tackling the myths on what rules are needed to be met. in 2010, almost 6 in 10 self employed people, approximately 2. 3 million, said they were based at home. and 55 per cent of the newly self - employed said they worked from home
startup loans are designed for 18 to 24 - year - olds who are interested in starting a business including those unemployed, in full time education or employment; starting a business or in the early stages of development - but are lacking access to the necessary finance or support to realise their ambitions .
startup loans will be supported with £10 million for a pilot scheme this financial year, with a further £32. 5 million in 2013 / 14 and £40 million in 2014 / 15 being made available to grow the scheme, subject to the pilot demonstrating that there is demand from young people and capability within the support network to engage and support them. we will be looking to engage commercial partners to further build the lending pot .
to administer the startup loans lending pot, the government is creating a new body to provide guidance and direction. james caan has agreed to chair this new body and has already recruited a team of many talents to bring real expertise to the delivery of the scheme. board members include john spence, roland rudd, david hutchinson, duncan cheatle, julie meyer, bev james, jonathan jenkins and philip king .
those who apply will get access to personal support with the most viable progressing on to formal business planning and mentor support. where the business plan is robust and approved, they will be able to access financial support in the form of loan. the loan will typically be in the order of £2, 500 - directly comparable with existing lenders in this area such as the prince’s trust - the longest permissible lending period will be 5 years. on average, we estimate that the loan period will be around 3 years but the decision on duration should be based upon the individual business plan. the interest rate will be at rpi plus 3% . delivery partners will repay loans and interest back to a central fund, which can then build a revolving lending model. the startup loans will be available in england only .
the startup britain campaign is backed by government but operates as a fully private sector supported venture. it was founded by eight individuals and business owners and is sponsored by axa, dell, intel, intuit, paypal and x. commerce. its role is to inspire, accelerate and celebrate entrepreneurship. urltoken for more details on startup britain contact liz slee at liz @ urltoken or call on 07540 060112 .
the rt hon the lord young of graffham pc dl graduated from university college london before becoming a solicitor. he spent a year in the profession before moving on to establish a number of successful businesses. he became chairman of the manpower services commission in 1982, entered the cabinet in 1984, became secretary of state for employment in 1985 and in 1987 became secretary of state for trade and industry and president of the board of trade. he was executive chairman of cable and wireless plc from 1990 to 1995 and thereafter chairman of young associates ltd, which invests in new technologies. lord young is an adviser to the prime minister on small business and enterprise .
the bolton report: bolton j. e. (chairman), small firms: report of the committee of inquiry on small firms (1971) .
we know from our experience at the prince’s trust that supporting young people into self - employment can help turn their lives around. we’re really pleased to be a part of this initiative as it will enable us to help even more disadvantaged young people through our popular enterprise programme .
economic solutions group is delighted to have been invited by bis and the startup loan company to engage with them as startup loan delivery partners. we welcome the opportunity to work with vibrant young entrepreneurs and recognise the importance of startup finance to the successful development of a new business. business finance solutions will lead the initiative on behalf of the group, which will provide a joined - up approach to mentoring, business services and a wide rage of growth opportunities delivered by the business growth hub and its partners .
we think there are a lot of enterprising young people out there who don’t even realise that setting up a business is an option, or that they’ve got the skills. if we can empower young people to set up on their own, it will be an extraordinary achievement .
in the uk, there are: 4. 13 million self - employed people and 4. 5 million small and medium sized businesses
smes (especially the small number of high growth smes) are key to economic growth. 99. 9% of the uk’s 4. 5 million businesses are small or medium - sized, of which around 75% have no employees
together, they [ smes ] contribute almost as much as large business to uk output (48. 3% of gva) and private sector turnover (48. 8 %). smes also account for almost 60% of private sector jobs (14 million )
the 2010 global entrepreneurship monitor evidence indicates that 4. 9% of 18 - 24 year olds said they intended to start - up in the next 3 years; this equates to around 100, 000 young people
the 2007 household entrepreneurship survey also indicated that around 4% (250, 000) of 16 - 24 year - olds had considered starting a business but had not due to financial reasons. according to gem 2010, of those individuals who have not recently considered starting / buying a business or becoming self - employed, over half (53 %) of 18 - 24 year olds cited obtaining business finance as a barrier to entrepreneurship, as opposed to 35% of those aged 25 and over
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it is no secret that britain faces unemployment and that a deeper double - dip recession might be on its way .
it is also no secret that talented young people, who may have amazing business ideas, cannot access the finance they need to achieve their business dreams. why? because they are too young, inexperienced and have no money to invest yet .
last may the government announced a £80m loan scheme to remedy this problem and help young entrepreneurs to start up their own business. aiming to tackle youth unemployment and trigger economic growth the government teamed up with dragon’s den star james caan, lord young of graffham and a board of experienced and successful entrepreneurs to launch startup loan. the scheme plans to kick - start 30, 000 start - up companies by offering ‘affordable’ five - year loans of around £2, 500 to young people between 18 and 24 to make their wonder business idea become a structured business plan supported not only by capital, but also by quality mentoring .
however, in order to make this initiative more attractive, startup loan has just announced 12 ambassadors from across the uk as a motivational tool and provide case examples of young entrepreneurs that have started up their own businesses .
some started as young as 14, some during their student life at university, and others right after graduation. with a wide range of backgrounds and businesses on dancing schools, jewellery, unlocking phones, online portals for students amongst others, these 12 ambassadors are the live example that hard work, perseverance, mentoring and of course a financial backing can lead to the ‘new wave’ of enterprise .
duncan cheatle, co - founder of startup britain and director of this new scheme, says: “i have identified 12 ambassadors who show exactly what is possible with a relatively small amount of start - up capital. each of them started in their teens or early twenties and has gone on to build an exciting and growing business .
“our ambassadors will be key to inspiring not only those young people who have a business idea to consider applying for the scheme but also to other young entrepreneurs who have already made the leap to offer their time to mentor the next generation of success stories. ”
having such a strong back up from the government might seem an initiative not to be missed. the scheme expects 10, 000 applicants and plans to last three years, so looking at all its positives it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for youngsters and the country. david cameron said: “i want this to be the year where people can think: yes, i can do it; that we can get as many viable businesses as possible off the ground. ”
started her first online business unlocking mobile phones at the age of 20 during her second year of law at the university of birmingham. within a few years the business went global and reached over 100, 000 monthly visitors. she then founded female entrepreneur association (fea) as a network for like - minded women in the stat - up industry and has now over 13, 000 women involved .
her first business boomed thanks to google adwords ,
so with a credit card and a daily spending of £30 on adwords the business was officially up and running ,
she said .
the development of social media really helped me to grow the business ,
she added .
eder is the founder and director of the beans group who makes life better for young people with urltoken offering latest deals, discounts and advice to students; and urltoken, a graduate site focusing on life after university .
he said :
we wanted to create one place online where students could go and find out what’s hot, what’s not and what would help them save money too. at the same time brands would gain access to a large and engaged student audience .
they started in birmingham by knocking doors with just a landing page saying ‘coming soon’ to gain access to brands to propose their plan and by the first year urltoken had 15, 000 users. but the ambition spread and a year later they launched in 18 cities all over the uk .
they were first rejected by the bank and then received a low interest loan of £3, 000 from the prince’s trust to start his new business .
deeply touched by his travelling experience to africa and asia, he decided to make a difference in education with a very simple idea: elephant branded. making and selling handmade cooperatives bags out of recycled materials he could donate school supplies to vulnerable children .
every sale would allow us to send a school kit off and also invest in new stock .
elephant branded was initially set up with £600 and
a lot of good will from friends
, and it started selling bags in seven uk universities while boon was doing his masters degree in architecture at the university of bath. the idea had its breakthrough when winning google international competition of “google young minds”. following this they were asked to supply google’s delegate bags for their world conferences, what let boon expand elephant branded being able to set up new ventures in uganda and kenya .
after graduating from university hurtley decided to start his own business by selling rugby socks .
with some savings and the sale of his 21st present (a watch) he collated £2, 000, bought 400 pairs of socks in different colours, set up a website from his parents garage in exeter and launched rampant sporting. it suddenly became a large sport lifestyle brand and a multi - channel retailer to wholesale accounts. it now sells to leading retailers such as asos and house of fraser, and has opened two stores in exeter and aldeburgh, suffolk. what started as a business selling socks ended up as a retailer of an entire line of sport clothes and accessories .
marie is a graphic designer turned jewellery designer. from the early age of 15 she was already an ambitious girl selling her own handmade cards in retail outlets. realising that her handmade talents can also help her set up a business she decided to make jewellery during her first year at brighton university .
she began wearing the designs herself and friends interested in her work started ordering them. following the growth in orders she used her graphic design skills to create a wholesale catalogue. different awards and involvement in enterprise schemes helped with the funding and understanding of how to start up a business. during her three years at university her business turned over more than £100, 000. she has now created exclusive collections for the tate galleries and has stockists both in the uk and worldwide, plus has been featured in top fashion magazines such as marie claire and cosmopolitan .
her funding came from her parents (up to £1, 000) and she won £1000 prize from the innovation awards at brighton university .
on graduation day ruben and his co - founder seb launched flavrbox. com, a digital marketing agency helping clients with their online presence and since then they have been managing clients with turnover exceeding £6m and projects valued up to £25, 000 .
as the food lovers they are, they went into the food business and flavrbox became the tool that facilitates the direct trade between independent food producers and consumers by slashing the classic distribution chain. starting with no money in the bank account or any form of funding things were complicated until
a client approached asking if we knew people who could help that we seized the opportunity to do it ourselves. that’s how we managed to pay our first bills, incorporate the company and launch a website to help us with our portfolio ,
says ruben .
after long working hours and effort their business became stronger and bigger, but kostucki affirms that it was not easy. he said :
running a business isn’t straightforward and working in a team neither. but hell it’s worth it !
with only 16 she decided to set up living the dream performing arts company to subsidise her own performing arts training and education. following that, she established the dream foundation to give young people free access to arts .
living the dream turned to be one of the few performing arts companies in the uk run by young people, for young people having a school of performing arts, dance company, media company, foundation and a dancewear shop .
its massive breakthrough was being selected by virgin media to produce the first interactive on - demand television dance app on their revolutionary tivo service which launched last month .
she counted with any other funding than few hundred pounds from family and friends to help the initial needs of living the dream. at university she produced a showcase every year, and luckily each show was funded by the local council, what enabled her to employ dancers, actors, technicians and a whole team to prepare the show .
my determination to make the performing arts affordable and accessible meant that there was little profit to be made and for the first year, i struggled, but i was successful in setting up the school without any extra financial support .
after graduating of business from the university of sheffield, work experiences and six coaching sessions, jodie started jc social media, a creative and strategic social media company offering clients help with their social media presence .
she didn’t have any funding, so she decided to work as a waitress during her business coaching to save some money. she was able to invest £800 in her very first own business, spending it on the website and on a social media course .
her first hand of advice is to
network, network, network! . i still take every opportunity i can to meet potential clients and collaborators .
you might think that a 14 year old could never start up a company. but that wasn’t the case with adam, who at such a young age started his very first company together with seven friends called dubit limited, the first virtual world for kids and teens. it later became the most visited teen website in the uk, he dropped school and focused his life on the online experience and security .
he then founded crisp thinking, a global leader in community management software, offering a platform to anyone that has an online community to manage their users .
today he is a leading figure in the future of online security and social media analytics, has won different awards such as the confederation of british industry (cbi) young entrepreneur of the year accolade at the growing business awards and british telecom business essence young entrepreneur of the year. adam is a part of uk council for child internet safety and is a member of the internet watch foundation .
pretaportobello. com, an online fashion marketplace that turns trawling the portobello market into a real business by selling clothes and accessories direct from portobello market, spitalfields, camden and brick lane. but at the same time gives the opportunity to haggle with the online market traders .
she collated £3, 000 between her and her two sisters, created a website, did extensive research on the retail business and launched the company from their small 2 bed flat. she then won £1, 000 for the daily mail enterprising young brit award and kept funding her fashion business. pret a portobello is now a great online portal offering great garments from famously london fashion markets and counts with customers that come for more .
she had a small budget but believed that offering quality and affordable lingerie could be the new take. she quit her job as a journalist, went back to her parents, spent few hundreds and began the journey of blubella by printing flyers, making a catalogue and going into shops to promote her brand new company .
she was extremely successful by turning into a fast growing business that grew by 120% in 2010 and 140% in 2011 after launching it in 2005. her business attracted a top class management team and it now boats a multi - million pound turnover while counting with a bunch of investors .
after finishing her ba broadcast journalism degree from leeds university she realised she had a passion for the food industry. she found a business partner and at the age of 23 decided to start a bakery boutique focused on cupcakes that have a' homely' taste .
starting from scratch, taking advantage of her business partner' s skills, who had a computer science background, and approximately £2, 500 each they launch lola' s kitchen, making fresh and beautifully decorated cupcakes. after proven they had a strong business model, an initial investment of £50, 000 by each side at the end of their first year. they didn' t spend any money on advertising until the third year, but did employ a baker and a decorator. the fun began and led to a successful bakery business selling in selfridges, harrods, topshop and even opening a flagship store in mayfair. their success got spotted, an attractive offer came on their way last year and sold the business to a private company. now, romy is in the search of new start up business idea .
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for investors fed up with poor returns and bad service from the big banks, new online platforms are making it easier to back promising entrepreneurs — starting with as little as £10 .
“angel investing”, popularised by the bbc series dragons’ den, is no longer restricted to the super - rich and anyone lucky enough to cross the path of a future mark zuckerberg. though the risks of losing your money are high, investing in start - ups appeals to people with a shrewd eye for a good idea and those who like to see where their money is going. another incentive for would - be angels is the new tax breaks, which mean investors can claim back up to 78 per cent in reliefs (see box, far right) .
janet mudge was a board member at ann summers, running the lingerie retailer’s £50m - a - year party planning, when she decided to quit early last year. this april, she resurfaced at blue bella, a small nottingham “lingerie and love stuff” business, in the role of party plan director .
mudge, 53, had been with ann summers for 25 years and had worked her way up from a party organiser to become the longest - standing board member, earning £105, 000 a year plus an annual bonus of 30% of her salary .
however, she had grown disillusioned with the firm, which she felt was focusing on its shops and not the party planning on which it was founded .
“the direction of the company was changing, ” said mudge. “you start to think, if…
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number of refugees accepted into the u. s. falls below the rest of the world combined for the first time since 1980
you' ve read the book, now you can wear the underwear as the official fifty shades of grey lingerie collection is unveiled .
the range includes sexy bra and knicker sets for women and christian grey inspired boxers for men .
gift sets feature some of the book' s most memorable catchphrases embroidered into the fabric such as' laters baby' and' you. are. mine.'
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there' s also baby doll sets, detailed lace button - up briefs and bra and knicker sets with detachable silk satin ties .
the collection will be debuted at the moda lingerie & swimwear show at the nec birmingham in august and will then go on sale with items ranging in price from £12 to £40 .
' this is core to our vision too, so we feel this is a perfect partnership.'
a second collection will hit the shops next summer to coincide with the launch of the anticipated film adaptation .
she wanted to create seductive fashion lingerie and sensual products, designed by women, for women .
she added:' as we await the release of the fifty shades of grey film, and a new wave of excitement surrounding the erotic phenomenon reaches fever pitch, we are thrilled to be developing the lingerie and underwear collections that will coincide with both the run - up to and launch of the film.'
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bluebella is a british lingerie company founded in 2005 by entrepreneur emily bendell . the business – which also sells in the us , australia , france and italy – has won a number of corporate awards . early investors included james averdieck , founder of luxury chocolate pudding brand gü , as well as the investor network incito ventures and the south east seed fund . bluebella was the first company to get funds from the london-based female investor club addidi business angels . the business has experienced rapid growth – recording a 100 % increase every 12 months between 2007 and 2010 . 
bluebella is a british lingerie company founded in 2005 by entrepreneur emily bendell. the business – which also sells in the us, australia, france and italy – has won a number of corporate awards. early investors included james averdieck, founder of luxury chocolate pudding brand gü, as well as the investor network incito ventures and the south east seed fund. bluebella was the first company to get funds from the london-based female investor club addidi business angels. the business has experienced rapid growth – recording a 100% increase every 12 months between 2007 and 2010.
bluebella is a british lingerie company founded in 2005 by entrepreneur emily bendell. the business – which also sells in the us, australia, france and italy – has won a number of corporate awards. early investors included james averdieck, founder of luxury chocolate pudding brand gü, as well as the investor network incito ventures and the south east seed fund. bluebella was the first company to get funds from the london-based female investor club addidi business angels. the business has experienced rapid growth – recording a 100% increase every 12 months between 2007 and 2010.