Skye entrepreneur John Coghill noticed a letter in the newspaper in 2019 from a Broadford local drawing attention to the fact that there were few options left for dining out and takeaway food. After some additional research, he spotted the Hebridean Inn was up for sale.  The inn was a well-known hotel and restaurant in Broadford that has been part of the village since the 1970s. However, it was reduced to B&B for ease of management by the owners were aging. John and his partners acquired the Inn and set up Hebridean Hospitality in 2019. Soon after, the company approached DSL Business Finance for a loan to refurbish the restaurant kitchen.  The business has a strong management team with John at the helm and is supported by Accountant, David Liepins. John has previously managed large capital expenditure projects for his family business. He has also worked in the kitchen at Skye’s world-renowned restaurant and hotel The Three Chimneys, as well as managing other hotels on the island.

Suzanne McKellar had worked as an accountant for over 10 years with a range of small and large accountancy firms. During this time, she had identified a number of opportunities within a market she knew well and needed relatively nominal support to assist with starting her own practice which was primarily focused on taxation. In 2017, she approached DSL Business Finance for a start-up loan.  DSL provided a start-up loan to help get the business going. The loan funding was used to purchase required accounting software and other start-up cost. Over the next two years, the business thrived.

Trading under ThermaFY, Kelso based Shock Innovations Ltd is helping hospitals to tackle coronavirus infections after receiving early-stage loan funding to support development of its thermal imaging technology.

An initial loan from the Scottish Microfinance Fund, which DSL Business Finance delivers on behalf of the Scottish Government, was provided to assist as part of an overall package to fund working capital as the business sought to establish itself in 2018.

A second sum was subsequently awarded using the Digital Development Loan Fund, a separate Scottish Government funded initiative delivered by DSL in partnership with Lanarkshire Enterprise Services Ltd to provide loans to SMEs working to improve their digital capabilities and capacity.

The loans have helped to fund the development of ThermaFY’s thermal imaging technology, now being used by the NHS in a number of UK hospitals in the fight against Covid-19.

An online beauty business based in the Highlands has received a funding loan of £25,000 from Scottish responsible finance provider, DSL Business Finance Ltd.

DSL’s investment, allowed a completed funding round that enabled independent start-up skincare brand, bubu, to acquire the necessary stock it needed to take its products to the market. It provided the brand with the building blocks it requires to solidify their business operation with a view to fast international growth.

Alness-based bubu was first launched in November 2019 with popular UK fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing. Despite Covid-19, bubu remains on a strong growth path, hiring three new employees during lockdown. It is currently preparing to open a new working warehouse and laboratory space in the Highlands.

Kalopsia was established as a textiles artists’ collective in 2012 by Adam and Nina. It’s now a forward-thinking social enterprise, capable of competing against traditional businesses. It strives to minimise the environmental impact of the business and manufacturing operations.

Davide Angeletti had been roasting coffee from home and selling it in the local area. When the orders grew, he acquired a small business premises and established Ovenbird Coffee Roasters to fill a gap in the growing speciality coffee industry in the UK. Along with speciality coffee, Ovenbird has developed a new Whisky Coffee which is sold to the public as well as to retailers.