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    • 5.1.1: EDP Case Study
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    • 5.3.1: EEP Case Study
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Exploring Enterprise Programme Case Study

Julie-Ann Hagan, Sew Crafty

Julie-Ann workes as a receptionist and in the evening was a dance teacher to the children's dance club Olympus.  In June 2007 she opened her own craft shop Sew Crafty on the Shankill Road. 

As a dance teacher she noticed that the parents were spending up to £500 for costumes, as they were hard to source and they wanted the best for their children.  Many parents had started to make the costumes themselves but also found it difficult to source the right materials.  Julie-Ann comments'

"I spotted an opportunity to provide the necessary material to produce these costumes.  Then I decided to offer a service whereby Sew Crafty would also make the dance costumes.  This has been a great success and I am now the sole provider of dance uniforms to the club".

Julie-Ann attended the Exploring Enterprise Programme and Start A Business Programme in February in order to find out how she could turn her idea into a lucrative business.  She comments on the programmes saying,

"my business advisor provided me with the information I needed to get started, she guided me in the right direction and gave me the confidence to open my own business".

Julie-Ann experienced difficulty accessing finance at the outset but after perseverance she gained the finance necessary to make her business idea a reality.  Julie-Ann's advice to new business owner's is,

"be willing to work hard at the start to make financial institutions believe in your idea, a good business plan will help and don't give up too easily on your dream.  Remember there is more than one bank out there".

Since opening Sew Crafty she hasn't looked back and says,

"I love being my own boss and there is nothing more satisying than opening a shop in the morning knowing that it's your own".