Leanne Arnold owns and runs the Bay Tree Florist on Cross Street in Cowes. She bought the business three years ago and she couldn’t have done it without the support of the Isle Of Wight Lottery.
“I had a bit of money saved up and my parents had some too,” Leanne explains. “We approached the Isle of Wight Lottery in 2011 and they gave me a £12,500 interest free loan, over 3 years. I’ve just made the final repayment. That was quite a moment for me!”
By the time she applied for the loan Leanne had been working at the Bay Tree Florist for five years. She knew the business well and she’d studied floristry at the Isle Of Wight College after getting her A-levels.
“Karen, the Bay Tree’s original owner, wanted to sell up,” Leanne explains. “The money from the IW Lottery meant that I was able to buy the business. I can’t believe where the time has gone. It’s all gone so quickly.”
Leanne took on the business with two part-time staff, who are still with the business today. There was also some help from mum and her step-dad helped with deliveries. Going from employee to owner was a big step and one that Leanne initially found quite daunting.
“It was very scary,” she admits. “I’d never done anything like it before and I didn’t really know where to start. The Lottery team were really helpful. They gave me a two day business start-up course which explained bookkeeping, and how to do things properly with HMRC. Until then I had no idea about that.”
“The loan panel were really helpful too. Linda was my mentor and she was amazing. She’s become a really good friend of mine. If I had any problems I could ring her up and talk things over. She was always really enthusiastic about the business. The panel were tough and they scrutinised every detail of the paperwork but that’s only right – they’re lending out of big amounts of money and they need to know they’ll be getting it back in the future.”
Leanne has learnt a lot since 2011 and she’s now sharing that valuable experience by joining the IW Lottery’s loan panel.
“I want to be able to help small businesses to succeed,” Leanne says. “The Bay Tree Florist has got a lot busier in the last three years and we’ve gone from strength to strength. This year we’ve had more weddings than ever and my staff will tell you it’s crazy all the time! There’s a lot of responsibility being boss. Even if the shop is really quiet you still have to pay the staff and get the flowers in. It has definitely helped that I was an employee to begin with. I knew the business and I knew how I wanted to treat my staff.”
“I love it and I enjoy it in a different way now. I’ve learned along the way. Anyone can do it – you’ve just got to go for it and believe in what you’re doing. I recommend the Isle of Wight Lottery to everyone that I can. I’m still playing each week – I haven’t won mind you – but I’m still playing!”
