31 July 2023
Fife College Business Management student Eilidh Hutchison has won the #FemaleBoss grant for her business, Aye Candy.
HND students at the college were visited earlier this year by Bridge2Business and Eilidh was encouraged to apply for their #femaleboss grant.
Aye Candy was born after a lockdown purchase of some chocolate moulds. She rolled up her sleeves, got her apron on and within 3 months had over 200 orders. With her parents being a home baker and a chef, Eilidh was destined to find the recipe for success:
"I definitely got my skills from my parents as my Mum is a superb home baker, who taught me everything she knows, and my Dad is a chef.”
The #FemaleBoss programme is designed for young women aged 18-24, to inspire, empower and support them into enterprise and to understand the importance of females in business.
She had to pitch Aye Candy, Dragons Den style, in front of a panel. They were so impressed by the business and Eilidh’s plans for its growth, she got the highest grant award of £2000.
The next steps for Aye Candy are Eilidh getting a driving license so she can start doing deliveries across Fife; attend farmers markets and to eventually open her own shop.
Eilidh said:
"This whole process definitely gave me more confidence in progressing the business and applying for funding in the future.
"The response from the public has been extremely supportive. To have people hear about your business and like it enough to fund you is a really nice feeling."
To enrol in our HND Business Management course, visit our Business, Enterprise and Accounting pages.