Earlier this year, Falling Leaf was delighted to be awarded 4th place in a Dragon's Den style competition for new businesses in The Forth Valley in Scotland, giving us the confidence to take the brand to the next step.
The journey began when we entered #THEHEAT21, a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style competition for the Forth Valley region, run by Business Gateway, while we were still in the early stages of creating the Falling Leaf brand. We were so proud to progress through the heats against some stiff competition, and were awarded 4th place in the final. Our involvement in the competition provided our brand with exposure and, more importantly, we accessed a huge amount of assistance from Business Gateway and STEP to help with all of the activity required to start a new e-commerce company.
The judges loved the sustainable aspect of our clothing as well as the unisex element which means that anyone can wear any garment they like, rather than being restricted by collections per gender.
Lindsay Galloway-Hall, owner at Falling Leaf Clothing, said: “Starting a business during lockdown has presented challenges, however, thanks to Business Gateway Forth Valley’s #THEHEAT21 competition, I was able to gain exposure for my business, while making valuable connections in the local community. I’m still in the early stages of developing my business and I found everyone’s enthusiasm for and successes in their own ventures really inspiring. Validation from the judges has given me a real confidence boost, so I will continue to work with Business Gateway, using their service to help grow and develop Falling Leaf, taking it to the next level.”
Jenn McArthur, Business Gateway adviser, said: “Business Gateway Forth Valley’s #THEHEAT21 competition has been highly effective in giving local businesses the exposure and networking opportunities to grow their brand. While the ongoing circumstances are not what anyone could have predicted, it has been brilliant to see how Lindsay has grown Falling Leaf and made sustainable clothing more accessible.”
We're excited to take everything we've learned through the competition process and from the help we've received from Business Gateway and STEP since then to make the launch of the Falling Leaf brand a success!