Entrepreneur and business owner, Simon Waring, established Soap Story Ltd in 2015, which specialises in the manufacture of a range of hygiene products, which includes bath bombs, hand cleansing gels, soap wedges, soap sponges and jelly soaps.

To support the businesses’ growth, Council’s Business Escalator Plus Programme provided expert mentoring to assist the business with ICT and Ecommerce support.

Being a keen pet owner himself, Simon could see there was a gap in the market for solid based shampoos for dogs, in particular ones made from natural, vegan friendly ingredients and suitable for even the most sensitive of dog breeds. Simon and his team quickly set to work developing a solid shampoo bar to meet the needs of pet owners.

The business has taken the product one-step further and is now producing a range of solid shampoo bars, which have been lovingly created and handmade for dogs.  These products are made from all natural ingredients and, where possible sustainably sourced materials, and are 100% vegan friendly.

Congratulating Soap Story Ltd on its success, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Noel Williams said:

“This is an excellent example of a local business using their existing skills to diversify their offering and explore new market opportunities with the development of a range of natural and sustainable dog grooming products. The Soap Story Ltd has worked closely with Council’s business support programmes and stakeholders which I’m delighted to say has helped the business capitalise on this new expansion opportunity.”

Entrepreneur and business owner, Simon Waring, adds: “The support I received through Council’s Business Escalator Plus programme has been invaluable. The mentoring advice and guidance has helped me take my idea from concept to product launch online. I have been assisted to enhance my online positioning and to carve out a new digital identity. I have also successfully developed a targeted marketing campaign to launch our new dog shampoo product, which has enabled me to reach a wide geographical range of new customers. My mentor was fantastic, extremely knowledgeable and has really helped my online offering. I couldn’t rate the support highly enough and would encourage other businesses to get in touch with Council to explore the expertise and support available to them”.

Council’s Business Escalator Plus programme, targeted at micro businesses and SMEs, is part-funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) programme.

To find out more about supports available to grow your business contact: amplify@midandeastantrim.gov.uk