Bristol Coffee Bike sets the wheels in motion with £4.8k start-up loan

Coffee Bike is a nostalgically designed mobile coffee cart that uses organic beans and is 100% CO2 neutral. For Tomasz, who always knew he wanted to run his own business one day, the opportunity to become a franchise Coffee Bike owner was the chance he had been waiting for. 

As with any new business, there were challenges to begin with, but a Virgin Start Up Loan of £4,800 - accessed through the Start & Grow programme - enabled Tomasz to make the dream a reality and he served his first customers in April 2016.

Tomasz discovered the Start & Grow Programme on the Business West website when he was looking for practical advice and support on starting his new business. As well as financial support in the form of a Virgin Start-Up Loan he gained access to skilled business advisors within the Start & Grow team. 

Since then, Tomasz has hired a part-time employee and has big plans to continue growing the business. He attributes at least part of his success to Start & Grow:

“Without the Start & Grow programme it would have taken me a lot longer to reach the stage of my business where I am able to employ a member of staff. The programme was well facilitated and engaging, and the ongoing support from Business West has also been very helpful and productive. The support I received from the Start & Grow team has given me more confidence in my actions as well as equipping me with the necessary information to apply for a loan.”

In the next 12 months Tomasz hopes to be able to offer his part-time staff member a full-time position. His long-term ambitions are to purchase more coffee bikes and hire a team to run them while he takes on a more managerial role in the business.