Today we hear about Samira, of PRINTD image, a single parent from Cardiff. Samira sadly lost her partner before her son was born. In the 12 years that have passed, Samira has done a degree, freelanced for a production company, and spent 5 years working for a bank. Samira worked right up until 2019 when her employer’s relocation meant she was made redundant.
She started to explore the possibility of starting her own business, with the support of Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government, but Covid lockdowns prevented it. As a result, her financial situation suffered.
However, Samira did not give up the idea of working for herself, but she wanted to be able to fit work around the responsibilities of being a single parent. PRINTD image began in January 2022 as a small-scale Etsy shop, selling bespoke printed items. In the beginning, she was selling digital artwork and saw potential to expand into homeware products (lamps, clocks, etc). Business turnover was growing but with no finance behind her Samira found it hard to pay for the stock needed to grow the venture.
The negative impact Covid-19 had had on Samira’s finances meant she faced many barriers while trying to raise capital to help support and build PRINTD image. The charity Purple Shoots, financially supported by Duport, saw the progress she had already made with her business, as well as her courage and resilience, and offered her the finance she needed.
She is now stocked up and ready for Christmas. You can find her on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/printdimage and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/printdimage
Samira said: “I was frustrated that after all my years of working hard, I couldn’t get funding from anywhere just because I had struggled over the last couple of years. I am so pleased now to have my own business that is working and growing. “
Duport give 10% of all company profits to the Purple Shoots, helping start-ups and ongoing businesses with financial assistance.
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