See the beauty with Si Belle Beauty
An award-winning beauty business which began in a kitchen back in 2018 by a sixteen-year-old, has since expanded to two salons in Essex, with a mission to make every visit an unforgettable experience. Receiving support from Business Support Programme Backing Essex Business, Si Belle Beauty has been able to double her team and expanding her offer to her clients.
Si Belle Beauty is a bespoke beauty business which provides an experience like no other. Rooted in Essex, Lois Williamson, owner, provides treatments to boost client’s confidence whilst enhancing their natural beauty across the two locations in Great Dunmow and Halstead.
From a humble beginning starting out in her mum’s kitchen at the age of sixteen, Lois had no intention to grow it into what it is now. After swiftly passing her driving test, she was able to hit the roads to provide mobile appointments from the comfort of her client’s homes. Fast forward to 2024, Lois now has a large team of talented Si Belle therapists who are passionate about the experience they provide.
““The beauty industry is one that is incredibly fast-growing – there is so much opportunity to succeed! Whilst there were many hard days learning new skills I didn’t have and dealing with problems, my dedication and determination allowed me to learn everything I could and continue to do. And now, here I am, operating a successful business.””
The salon provides a range of services, including hand & foot treatments, eye & brow treatments, facials, massages, hair removal, tanning and piercings. They are also a fully accredited training academy, which offers a variety of beauty treatment training courses.
Lois first came across the opportunity to work with Backing Essex Business during the Covid-19 lockdown. After wanting to learn more about growing and building an operational business, beginning to scale her ideas and ambitions, she joined the Backing Essex Business peer network programme ‘Group2Grow’.
Backing Essex Business is a fully funded business support service, funded by Essex County Council, offering advice, access to business finance and training for businesses in Essex looking to develop and grow. The Group2Grow peer network programme brings together groups of 8-10 business professionals to share challenges, experiences, and solutions, utilising the shared knowledge for individual business growth. The 8 x 2hr sessions are led by a professional business coach, with each week’s topic being agreed in advance by the participants based on their current challenges.
The Group2Grow programme offers 1:1 mentoring from experienced business coaches, tailoring advice to the individuals needs. Lois was supported by Sarah Brockwell – a marketing consultant who specialises in helping SMEs and start-up businesses. In the spring of 2022, Sarah provided guidance into seeking and applying for grant funding for Lois’s business growth project. This resulted in Lois being able to successfully open her second salon in Halstead in August 2022, immediately creating 4 new staff positions.
““Sarah was incredibly supportive and helpful. She opened my eyes to a variety of aspects of business to help me grow and also educated me more in grants that could also help me. Since starting my business, it has been a rollercoaster, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.””
A highlight of Lois’ since starting the business was creating a team of like-minded individuals who are just as passionate about the brand she built. Back in October 2023, the salon was named the ‘Best Beauty Salon in Essex’ at England’s Business Awards, hosted at the Raddison Blu Hotel in Stansted. This award is one which recognised the salons outstanding efforts in delivering cutting-edge beauty and wellness services, which have clearly resonated with clients in the Essex area.
Looking to the future, her main hope for the business is to continue to grow, maximising profitability in both salons before considering taking on more. Whilst Lois has already taken on 5 new employees, she hopes to continue growing the incredible team, as well as feeling content and stable in everything she does for the business.
