A Swindon marketing company is expanding its team and taking on more clients thanks to a £25,000 loan from the South West Investment Fund via SWIG Finance.
Sara Witham launched Evil Empire Marketing in 2019 in a bid to find a flexible work-life balance that could work around family life. As business took off, she realised an extra pair of hands was needed and the loan enabled her to take on multi-skilled Jess Edwards two days a week.
Part of the government-backed British Business Bank, the £200m South West Investment Fund covers the entire South West region and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.
Sara is now working on a job description for a second, full-time member of staff, as well as supporting and extending her freelance workforce.
“There are many challenges that come with running your own business,” said Sara. “Jess was able to hit the ground running and is able to turn her hand to so many things, from graphic design to WordPress. Having her on hand to help frees me up to go out looking for new custom – I recently onboarded three major clients.
“This would not have been possible without the South West Investment Fund. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to employ someone, and I didn’t have the money either. Even in the first few months of having the loan, it’s transformed my business for the better.”
Evil Empire was devised to give small and medium-sized businesses the benefit of having a marketing department at their convenience, from sending a press release to social media management, campaigns, content creation and strategy.
Sara was referred to SWIG Finance by Emma Carter, then at Business West, and was supported by associate business manager Adele Jones. “Adele was amazing and she led me by the hand. The bank had the money in my account less than 48 hours after sign-off,” said Sara.
“I can’t stress enough how the loan switched things up, and quickly, in so many ways. Now I’m so confident in our offer – it’s a different world.”
For her part, Adele was “thrilled” to help Sara grow her team. “Being able to support independently owned businesses and, in this case, a brilliant woman founder, is exactly why I love working at SWIG Finance,” she said.
“I really enjoyed working with Sara. The application process can be quite detailed, but that’s to make sure the funding is the right fit. Sara came to me with a clear need and a warm introduction from Emma Carter, and she was so engaged and responsive throughout, which really helped. As a result, we were able to secure the full funding she was looking for.
“I’m so pleased we could play a part in her journey, and I can’t wait to see what is next for Evil Empire.”
The purpose of the South West Investment Fund is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the South West.
About SWIG Finance
SWIG Finance is a people-based lender that provides loans and support to help smaller businesses in the South and West Country grow. We base our lending decisions on potential rather than collateral, which means that we can often support businesses when others can’t.
We’re growing every year. In 2024/25, we lent £14.8m to 501 businesses, helping to create and secure over 1,272 jobs and generate £75.7m in social impact. Download the report here.
If you’d like an informal chat about your funding requirements, get in touch with our friendly and professional team to see how we can help: [email protected] / 01872 227 930
About The British business bank
The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and to enable the transtion to a net zero economy, by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. Its remit is to design, deliver and effciently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.
The British Business Bank’s core programmes support over £17.4bn of finance to almost 64,000 smaller businesses.
As well as increasing the supply and diversity of finance for UK smaller businesses through its programmes, the Bank works to raise awareness of finance options available to smaller businesses. The British Business Bank Finance Hub provides independent and impartial information to businesses about finance options, featuring short films, expert guides, checklists and articles from finance providers to help make their application a success.
The British Business Bank is also responsible for administering the government’s three Coronavirus loan schemes and its Future Fund, together responsible for delivering £80.4bn in finance to 1.67m businesses. These schemes are now closed to new applications.
British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at www.british-business-bank.co.uk.
About the Nations and Regions Investment Funds and the South West Investment Fund
The British Business Bank’s Nations and Regions Investment Funds increases the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for UK smaller businesses, providing finance to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.
Operating in a commercially sustainable way the Nations and Regions Investment Funds delivers a £1.6bn commitment of new funding through investment strategies that best meet the needs of the businesses in their nation or region.
The British Business Bank is responsible for administering the Nations and Regions Investment Funds on behalf of the UK government. We are establishing investment funds in areas not currently served by the Bank’s existing regional funding programme as well as launching follow-on investment funds in existing fund areas.
£200m has been allocated to provide a fund for businesses in the South West of England, building on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund.
The South West Investment Fund offers a range of commercial finance options with small loans from £25,000 and equity investment up to £5m. The fund covers the entire South West region including Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
The South West Investment Fund has a demonstrable presence across the region linking up with the existing small business finance ecosystem to increase reach and create an impact beyond the funds, helping to boost productivity, innovation and jobs.
