Lloyds and Channel 4 celebrate West Midlands winners for Black in Business 2024
31 Jan 2025
Published in: Member News
Channel 4 and Lloyds reveal the winning businesses for the 2024 Black in Business initiative.
Black-owned businesses Flora & Curl and Nylah’s Naturals, both from Birmingham, West Midlands, have won free TV advertising airtime, and the creation of their own TV advert and business mentoring.
Black in Business is a Channel 4 initiative in partnership with Lloyds to help tackle structural obstacles that Black entrepreneurs face when setting up and scaling businesses.
Lloyds’ 2022 Black. British. In Business and Proud report revealed that 84% of Black business owners have been negatively discriminated against in their entrepreneurial efforts. In addition, Channel 4 Sales research found that 56% of Black owned businesses receive funding only once they had already become successful, compared to 35% of white business owners.
Following the success of the first year, the four winning businesses will each receive £150,000 worth of TV advertising airtime on Channel 4 which will run from July onwards. Alongside this, each business owner will receive mentoring from a ‘senior sponsor’ executive from both Channel 4 and Lloyds, providing expertise tailored towards the specific needs of their business.
Flora & Curl is a haircare brand specialising in natural, plant-powered products designed for individuals with textured hair. As a winner of the Channel 4 and Lloyds’ initiative to support Black-owned businesses, the company is thrilled to gain national recognition and a boost in sales. Following a dedicated two-year rebrand, Flora & Curl sees this opportunity as a rewarding milestone, celebrating the hard work and passion that has gone into refining its brand and products.
Nylah’s Naturals is another haircare brand that is empowering Black women to embrace their natural hair. Using advanced ingredient technologies, the brand focuses on stimulating hair recovery and promoting hair wellness. Winning this initiative from Channel 4 and Lloyds is a transformative opportunity, helping to bridge the disparities Black and female founders face in accessing capital for marketing. This national platform will amplify Nylah’s Naturals’ mission to provide solution-focused products for women dealing with challenges like hair loss, furthering its commitment to hair health and empowerment. Dave Atkinson,
Regional Director for the West Midlands at Lloyds, said: “These talented entrepreneurs have shown tremendous passion in starting and scaling their businesses, and that passion shone brightly throughout this year’s competition. Creativity and resilience are key to running a successful business so we look forward to seeing these winners thrive and inspire others.
“We already support over 1 million British businesses at all stages of their journey, across the UK, so whether you’re planning to turn a side hustle into a viable business or looking to grow an existing one, our Black entrepreneurs programme is committed to supporting those ambitions and helping Britain prosper.”
Ewan Douglas, Head of Sales Nations & Regions & Business Development, at Channel 4 Sales, said: “I’m proud that we had the opportunity to be introduced to so many promising businesses through the Black in Business initiative, and look forward to the next exciting phase as the winners work with Channel 4 on their adverts.
“Our shortlisted businesses at top 20 and top 8 stage had tremendous potential, which made it all the more difficult to make a decision on who our winners would be. Fundamentally, we were blown away by the entrepreneurial journeys of our chosen winners, and excited at the chance to work with them. Fundamentally, we were blown away by the entrepreneurial journeys of our chosen winners, and excited at the chance to work with them. We’re confident that Channel 4 will do our best to provide the expertise and insights needed to supercharge these businesses, helping them to grow from strength to strength.”
Rose Ovensheshi, Flora & Curl, said: “I am incredibly honoured to have been chosen as a winner of this incredible initiative by Channel 4 and Lloyds Bank to promote and uplift black-owned businesses on TV! Myself and my whole team are buzzing and we can’t wait to see the sales uplift and experience the national recognition after a busy last two years of our rebrand project which has been a labour of love. We are just over the moon!”
Kameese Davis, Nylah’s Naturals, said: “I am delighted to have secured this incredible opportunity through Channel 4 and Lloyds Bank. Given the disparities black and female founders face in accessing the capital needed to market our initiatives, this opportunity is transformative. It will amplify our voices and help us further our mission to promote hair wellness and provide solution-focused products for women dealing with challenges like hair loss.”
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