Eighteen years ago, owning her own salon seemed like an impossible dream for Louise Jayne Ndlovu.

But, with support from friends and family and business advice from Business Support York and North Yorkshire and the Whyte Knight Fund, Louise Jayne opened The Lounge in Gillygate in July last year and now hopes to make her mark at The Press Business Awards 2013 in the New Business Of The Year and Small Business Of The Year categories.

Louise Jayne is still as passionate about every aspect of hairdressing as she was when she first started.

She says: “I have managed to create a salon which is totally different and I am so proud of making the shop just how I had dreamed it would be. I’ve created an eclectic style combining old and new that appeals to every age group and the feedback from our clients has been really positive.

“The fact that I had a loyal clientele who have entrusted me with the styling of their hair for so many years made me realise that the main ingredients to make my new business successful was already in place.

“The only missing elements were sourcing premises and funding, for which Business Support York and North Yorkshire (BSYNY) helped me to write a good business plan and apply for a low-cost loan through the Whyte Knight Fund. Having ongoing access to my mentor at BSYNY gives me the confidence to look forward to a bright future.”

After one year of trading the salon has created jobs for two employees. One is a hairdresser with five years’ experience and the other an apprentice currently training through York College.

In addition, a qualified stylist rents a chair and Louise Jayne says this is helping to set an example to her staff on how beneficial it is to be an independent hairdresser – and it provides extra income for the salon.