Nwes Arvostelua 

We worked with NWES as part of the Start Up Loan scheme. I had the pleasure of communicating with Michele Stewart, Nicole Wells and Letitia Cavanagh, all of whom were both helpful and knowledgeable. They made the process very straightforward for us, and were easy to reach and informative throughout the process. Thank you all.

Very disappointing. They refused several times to read my business plan, encouraged me to withdraw and, then said I was out of time. I feel I was discriminated against because of my age. I have read the NWES response and my comments remain the same.

Letitia was so helpful, friendly and speedy with answering all of my questions. Highly, highly recommend her! 5*

Just got approved for my loan. I started a few months back, found the information by looking up loans. I had so many things not in order, addresses were old , had to change everything, they even got me an extension on the time needed to continue with the application. They helped me all the way very quickly, after every upload they would give me a feedback same day. Steve, Susan, Sergio and Michelle all united in changing my life and helping me achieve my dreams. I will not disappoint them.

Having immense encouragement from Charlotte and her helping me navigate getting my application, in order prior to being reviewed. Her person centred approach when I asked a question was a credit to NWES. Michele my business advisor was thorough and kept me updated every step of the way, even at ad hoc times and also kindly explaining a process that I was unfamiliar with. Thank you all for being person focused and incredible. I appreciate you all.

Excellent service. It was a very smooth process. Whenever I had questions, they were quickly answered.

Every stage of the process was clearly set out, and I was always notified promptly when I needed to upload further information.

My loan application was approved, and I've signed up to their post-application support service.

Worked with Onaway to get my start up loan for my business and she was absolutely fantastic, great support and overall a great experience. Truly grateful to everyone involved.

I cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional support I received from Onaway, my business advisor. Setting up LB Naturals has been a significant journey, and her guidance was truly invaluable.

Onaway demonstrated remarkable patience throughout the entire process, especially when I was grappling with the complexities of spreadsheet formulas. Her clear explanations and willingness to break down intricate details made a profound difference, transforming what felt overwhelming into manageable steps.

What truly set her apart was her ability to accept my business's weaknesses without judgment, and more importantly, her keen eye for seeing its immense potential. She didn't just advise; she genuinely believed in the vision for LB Naturals, which was incredibly encouraging.

I must also commend the fairness of the process. I had previously been told that individuals from ethnic backgrounds might face biases in securing opportunities. However, I can honestly say that my experience here did not reflect that. My advice to anyone is to not listen to gossip or preconceived notions; all you have to do is present a viable business, and the opportunity will be there. Onaway’s professionalism and dedication to supporting a sound business plan truly embodied this.

Thank you, Onaway, for your expert guidance, your patience, and for helping me lay a solid foundation for LB Naturals. Your support has been instrumental.

Words will never do justice in our expression of gratitude and thanks to the staff at NWES to grant access to a start-up loan. The professional adviser was Stuart who responded within two days after the application was submitted. He wasted no time at all citing the omissions and ambiguous areas of our business plan. He also gave us a full list of what the requirements were and pointed us to several guides and videos of where to find more information.

Stuart did everything in his professional aptitude to understand the business plan fully, always responding within three days after submission. We reviewed and substantiated the figures with evidential narratives and together we could see a vision of what we wrote taking a more professional shape compared to the initial document submitted. We felt that without his meticulous questioning and guidance, a starter like us would have found the entire application process a nightmare to go through. Stuart and his team's approach made to us fully understand why each aspect of the process was so important to define, distinguish, integrate and to validate. We believe that Stuart took a personal interest in understanding our business model in such a way we felt we were the only start-up in his books.

We believed in his quest for more information to clear ambiguities and once all sorted, there was no turning back. It was really worth the effort. Kudos to Stuart.
Please continue to show the same resilience, resolve and professionalism to other start-ups, so that they can believe in the successful realisation of their dreams.

The best possible experience we could have asked for. We were guided through the whole application with empathy, professionalism and expertise. Onaway was our Business Advisor and we couldn't have asked for someone more perfect. She was consistently amazing.

Excellent support throughout the journey! A huge shout out to Ian and Michele for leaning at crucial points to help move the application forward. Highly recommend to UK entrepreneurs.

My application has been approved and it's very timely for my business growth. The communication and service were professional and prompt.
I was supported by Letitia Cavanagh, my business advisor for the application. She is professional and took time to understand my business, funding needs and my capabilities.
I needed funding so badly to manage my cash flow and it is just the right timing. I've also received a repayment holiday and a longer period to repay. It's so flexible and helpful. I would recommend their services.

Nwes claim to offer a 'Personal Loan'.
My credit score was accepted.
My business idea was known to staff at Nwes. At no point was any concern or advice given that my business idea would be ineligible. I think Nwes get paid a lot of money for processing applications and coaching applicants.
The goal posts start to shift...concerns start getting raised....
Hopes will be destroyed. Nwes will have had their money. Nwes portray a professional image.
With sloppy ethics. No accountability for decision making. Be warned....
Time wasters alert! Don't rely on Nwes they could pull the plug on your great business idea or even steal it!
Why would you share your master plan with these people knowing as I now do....they owe Norfolk County Council millions.

Ian Bird one of Nwes experts calls me on his mobile phone today to BS me with his arbitrary decision not to give me the start up loan.. Start Up Loans for women are much lower success rate than male applicants....Nwes is predominantly male.....
Ian Bird states that my business was not eligible as it is Coaching and mentoring in education....huh? Really Ian....

Let's blow your BS out of the water by looking at the ineligible list on your website....
Excluded business types
Most business types are eligible to be funded with a Start Up Loan, however we are not able to support the following business types*:

weapons
chemical manufacture
pornography
drugs
illegal activities
banking & money transfer service, and other FCA regulated activities
private investigators that do not hold the appropriate licence
gambling and betting activities
property investment
agents for third parties, where a third party earns the majority of the revenue or you would only be earning a commission (not to be confused with franchise businesses which are eligible to apply)
charities (Community Interest Companies / Not for Profit and Social Enterprises with a sole community focus can be considered on a case by case basis)
*other exclusions may apply and The Start Up Loans Company reserves the right to update this list at its discretion.

Looks like you need to update your list to include mentoring and coaching for education support?
Nwes Ian Bird is tweeting nonsense wasting people's time and effort in starting up a business that is very much needed and suitably profitable without being extortionate....

Amazing company, would highly recommend to check out StartUPLoans before applying anywhere else! NWES is a great company to work with, they care about their customers and try their best to help you! 🙂

Fantastic service!!

Would give 100 stars if I could.

First of all, NWES were very quick to contact me once I had submitted my query for a business loan. I was contacted next day and enrolled onto a business plan course ran by Richard Voisy.

This course is the most valuable thing that I could have done during the beginning stages of my business. There are things that I have learnt in this course that will continue to be helpful throughout my business.

Richard was very informative and explained things in a a way that was easy to understand.

My business advisor, Letitia, was quick to get in touch once I had finished the course and initially submitted my plans. Letitia was always happy to answer my queries, steer me in the right direction to what information I needed to provide. Letitia was very quick at getting back to my queries and always so helpful. An excellent business advisor.

It's been quite some time since I've come across a business that has provided such excellent customer service, I could honestly shout from the roof tops about this experience.

Thank you so much for helping me to grow my business!

The business advisers have no clue what business means to people applying, they are clueless and will portray your business idea as worthless after collecting all details. They are good at shutting applications down just like that! sometimes, I have a feeling the advisers are not passing on the applications to their superiors for a review of their individual decision. Also, I note that there is no complaint process on their webpage.
Start Up Loan Company should be asking applicants & provides options which partners applicants prefer to use before sending referring to Nwes.

Very helpful in helping me acquire my business start up loan. Went through the business plan together and offered me advice in what I would need in order to be approved for the government backed up loan. Very grateful thank you.

The on boarding team are a nightmare and the department’s don’t communicate properly. In a single sentence, they DON'T know what business means and they don't care about you and your project.