Funding update

Well to say I’m disappointed is an understatement. Yesterday the rep from the Start-up Loans company phoned me with the news that the Government official had turned my application down because they had decided that the Centre was in fact an expansion of my existing business and therefore ineligible for start-up funding. Oh he was very apologetic that they couldn’t fund me, my application was one of the best they’d put forwards…

but in the end it boils down to a 2 month setback.

So what am I doing about this? I’ve submitted the forms to my local Reinvestment Trust for consideration and they should be back in touch with me in a week’s time (allowing for a bank holiday). Another Reinvestment Trust is also interested in funding the project. A firm of private investors is interested too.

I’m in two minds as to whether to just start the crowdfunding process off, regardless of not having a video ready (can’t film it until I get into the building, can’t get into the building until I get the money…).

Meanwhile, some really nice friends have been giving me money! At the moment I have £235 from various lovely friends. This has paid for my logo design and this website to be built, so I wouldn’t be here writing to you if they hadn’t helped out. If any of you reading this blog would like to contribute, please get in touch (hello@amethystcentre.com should get to me) and we’ll take it from there.

And please feel free to share this around your friends too. I’m designing some reward packages for those who do contribute, and I’ll let you know more about them at a later date.

As someone said to me today, you can either wait for a door to open or you can go and open it yourself. Well I’m an Aries – what do you think I’ll do!