Lola first came to us with a clear ambition but limited confidence in how to make it happen. Today, she is the owner of a franchised optician practice in Croydon.
Taking the first day
We first met Lola in autumn 2024. She was working as an optician and had decided that she wanted to own a practice of her own. The ambition was there but turning it into a viable plan meant stepping beyond the security of her employed role and learning how to think like a business owner.
Lola took a day of annual leave to attend our Business Bootcamp series for three consecutive months. It was a practical decision, but also an important personal commitment. The programme gave her focused time to strengthen her business knowledge, clarify her idea, and begin building the confidence she would need for the journey ahead.
Finding the confidence to pitch
The next opportunity was the 2025 Get Ready for Investment programme. It gave participants the chance to strengthen their understanding of finance and investment, develop their pitch and present their businesses to a panel of local advisers.
At first, Lola did not want to apply. The thought of standing in front of an audience and pitching her idea made her extremely nervous. Saffron Saunders, our CEO, had already recognised Lola’s potential and encouraged her to take the step. Lola said yes.
That decision placed her in a room where her idea could be tested, supported, and taken seriously. It also introduced her to Dave King, a local business owner who had built and sold his own company and now supports other organisations as a board adviser. Dave was one of the local advisers on the programme’s Croydon’s Den panel in early 2025 and volunteers as a mentor with us.
The panel met in our Creative Digital Lab, now part of UP CREATIVE. The professional studio created a focused setting in which participants could present their ideas clearly, a skill that matters in conversations with partners, lenders, and customers.
The right mentor at the right moment
Following the programme, Dave was asked to support Lola and several other participants. His role was not to make decisions for her. It was to bring experience, perspective, and constructive challenges to the decisions that mattered most.
Together, they worked through many iterations of a structured business plan, negotiations connected with the legal, operational and financial framework of the acquisition and preparations for conversations with the bank about borrowing. Each step helped Lola move from a broad ambition towards a clear and credible route to ownership.
This is where mentoring can make a decisive difference. A plan becomes more useful when somebody experienced asks the difficult questions, provides a trusted sounding board for testing ideas, working through challenges and gaining an independent perspective, thereby helping the founder to see what they may have missed and keeps the next actions in view.
A major milestone
More recently, Lola completed the acquisition of a franchised optician practice in Croydon. The founder who once felt nervous about pitching her idea is now leading a business of her own.
Lola is delighted that she came to us for support and grateful for the kindness, encouragement and practical help that enabled her to reach this next level. For our team, her achievement is a powerful reminder that confidence is not something a founder must already possess. It can grow through action, the right opportunities, and support from people who believe in their potential.
“It was so good to see Lola in her new business. She is so happy but daunted at the same time. I have offered to carry on meeting her a couple of times a quarter to run through her ‘to do list’ and give her some comfort. It will be so rewarding to see her going from strength to strength.”
Dave King, volunteer mentor
Support that stays with the founder
Lola’s story was not shaped by one isolated intervention. The Bootcamp gave her practical foundations. The investment programme challenged her to speak about her business with confidence. Mentoring helped her work through the detailed decisions involved in acquiring a practice. Together, those forms of support created a route from intention to ownership.
Lola needed different things at different moments. That is the thinking behind the wider UP ecosystem. Founders can begin with UP START, access practical guidance through UP GROW, find somewhere professional to work or meet through UP SPACE, and build useful relationships through UP NETWORK. The aim is not to follow a fixed route or use every service. It is to connect each founder with the support that fits their next decision.
Our mentoring programme is made possible by experienced local professionals who volunteer their time to support new and ambitious business owners. They offer grounded insight, honest challenges, and a steady sounding board when the decisions feel overwhelming.
We are delighted that Lola has fulfilled her ambition and look forward to seeing her practice develop and grow. We are equally grateful to Dave and every volunteer mentor who chooses to give back by helping another founder move forward.
Could mentoring help you take your next step?
If you are building a business and would value clearer thinking, stronger decisions and practical support, explore our One to One Business Mentoring. Applications are reviewed individually, with places offered subject to fit and mentor availability.
If you have business experience and would like to help another founder grow, find out how to become a volunteer mentor.