A personal trainer from Tranent has won the East Lothian Investments Ltd (ELI) Young Entrepreneur Award.
Sam Stevenson, aged 24 and founder of SS Coaching, received the £1,500 prize. He says the funding helped move his business forward six months ahead of schedule.
ELI created the award for young people aged 16 to 25. The initiative encourages and celebrates entrepreneurship among East Lothian's young business owners.
Sam launched SS Coaching on 1 January 2023. Business Gateway Adviser Irene Ramsay encouraged him to apply for the award.
SS Coaching provides personal training and strength and conditioning services. The business works with a wide range of clients, from individuals and local sports teams to professional athletes.
Recently, Sam joined forces with business partner Jake Beveridge, owner of East Lothian Barbell. Together, they launched a new venture at their premises in East Fortune. The business offers bespoke training programmes and one-to-one performance coaching.
The pair used the award funding to purchase equipment for their gym. As a result, they accelerated their growth plans and reached key milestones much sooner than anticipated.
Sam said:
"The prize massively helped with the start-up of the gym. We were waiting for planning permission on our new unit when I applied for the competition, so the timing was perfect.
"We knew the costs of opening our own gym would be significant. With limited start-up capital, a unit deposit to pay and the cost of equipment, winning this prize made everything much more achievable and reduced a lot of stress.
"It has also allowed us to look ahead and explore new opportunities to grow the business sooner than we originally planned."
East Lothian Investments Ltd (ELI) is an arm's-length company of East Lothian Council. Council employees manage the fund, while a Board of Directors governs the company. The Board includes two East Lothian councillors and three private-sector business representatives who volunteer their time and make funding decisions.
Businesses from any sector can apply for loans of up to £25,000. In addition, ELI offers interest-free finance with an arrangement fee of up to 7.5%. The funding is available to both new and established businesses.
Rodney Shearer, Chair of East Lothian Investments Ltd, said:
"We are delighted to offer this prize to encourage entrepreneurship among young people. Sam is a deserving winner, and I'm confident that he and Jake will make a positive contribution to wealth creation and wellbeing across the community."
Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council Spokesperson for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism, said:
"Sam is a very worthy winner of this award. I'm delighted it has helped him and Jake accelerate their plans and invest in the future of their business.
"They have shown a strong commitment to delivering high-quality fitness and health services. Their work supports everyone from young people to professional athletes.
"I was also impressed by Sam's structured approach to business development and his use of support services, including Business Gateway East Lothian. I wish Sam, Jake and SS Coaching every success in the future."
In addition to sports performance coaching, SS Coaching offers specialised equipment for injured and less able clients. The business has also delivered summer camps for young people aged 11 to 15. These sessions promote fitness, confidence and safe strength training.
Furthermore, Sam and Jake are passionate about creating equal opportunities. They hope to work with more young people and low-income households in the future. They are also exploring the development of an online coaching app.
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