Start up is ‘pure perfection’ for Carla

A young entrepreneur from Accrington has fulfilled her lifelong ambition of opening her own beauty salon after receiving business advice from Hyndburn Enterprise Trust. Carla Ainsworth opened Pure Perfection on Warner Street, Accrington, last October and, despite long hours and mountains of paperwork, is enjoying every minute of running her own business.
Said Carla: “It’s even more rewarding than I expected. I’ve been imagining this for as long as I can remember, and I would advise anyone in a similar position to just go for it. It really is a dream come true.”
Carla, 22, has worked in the beauty industry since completing a modern apprenticeship in beauty therapy at Blackburn College. She managed a salon in Whalley for three years before taking the plunge and striking out on her own.
She said: “I was never sure whether opening my own salon was a viable option, so while I was working as a manager I began teaching beauty therapy part-time at Blackpool and The Fylde College.
“I wanted to make sure that I had something to fall back on so I am now studying for a Certificate in Education as well. It makes good business sense to have a Plan B, just in case.”
If there’s one thing Carla appears to have in spades, it’s good business sense. With a full appointment book every day, she has recruited her mother to work as the salon’s manageress on a voluntary basis to save money and start paying back her loans.
“Finding funding was the most difficult part of starting up, but luckily I have great friends and family who knew how dedicated I was and happily lent me what they could. I also got much-needed advice on bookkeeping from the people at the Women into Business scheme, which has proved extremely helpful.”
The Women into Business scheme is operated by Hyndburn Enterprise Trust, which has one of the best records in the country for supporting new and existing small firms. The project has been running for 15 years and organises networking events and workshops that give practical help and advice, as well as enabling female entrepreneurs to share their experiences.
They also operate a grant system, which Carla is hoping will assist her in growing her business further. She said: “The next thing on my ‘to do’ list is to advertise for another full time beautician. Once I’ve recruited someone, I then want to look into getting some PR support to raise the profile of the 
salon across Lancashire.
“I feel that we’re offering something unique and special here, so naturally I want everyone to know about it.”
Aileen Evans, Director at Hyndburn Enterprise Trust, said: “Carla is a great example of a determined female entrepreneur, who deserves to grow a successful business.
“We have plenty of enterprising females and budding businesswomen in Hyndburn who are thinking about starting up their own firms. From advice on business planning and legal issues to marketing and exporting products, we can help to guide them through the initial start-up period and offer ongoing support to help them grow and expand.”
For more information call Jo Evans on 01254 828821 or 07782 163182.