Art entrepreneur lands loan to launch new collection

Lincolnshire entrepreneur and kiln glass artist, Katie Hinder, has secured a £17,500 startup loan from First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans to expand her glass-making business and launch a new collection.

Hinder has been creating kiln glass pieces since graduating from the University of Sunderland in Architectural Glass in 2007 but wanted to expand her business when she set up her current studio in 2018.

Hinder said: “The loan was instrumental in helping me to develop and expand the studio. The robust application process and my dedicated business adviser helped me to fully consider how the studio would perform financially, who my target market is and how the studio would provide a valuable service.

“Throughout my degree, I studied how to be an artist. However, the support from First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans helped me to see my entrepreneurial skills and gave me the confidence to expand. With the loan, I purchased equipment and raw materials, which gave me the financial movement to develop a new collection.”