Case Study: Financielle- Business Growth Programme

Financial well-being company Financielle was co-founded by Warrington sisters Laura Pomfret and Holly Holland. Both previously worked in a global travel business; Laura is a qualified solicitor and Holly worked in sponsorship and marketing. Initially a hobby Instagram account in 2018, Financielle is now a digital financial wellness community of over 24,000 people; after identifying a surge in demand for financial support during the pandemic, the sisters decided to launch the Financielle Playbook in May 2020 and become a trading company.

The Playbook is a digital step-by-step guide to help people become `financially well’, taking users on a journey through the stages, `Survive, Build and Grow’. Hundreds of people have engaged with the book and are active members of the free digital community space where they can support each other with financial matters and share their Playbook wins. The sisters are now considering engaging with corporate clients to explore the opportunities to offer financial well-being packages to their employees; they are also looking at ways to `give back’.

Seeking direction
Financielle joined the Business Growth Programme (BGP) in February 2021 following business growth support from Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub.

Considering that start-ups can often lack focus and direction as they deal with the day-to-day running of a business, Laura and Holly said: “We recognised the BGP would inject routine into our week and provide some crucial learnings and accountability to help take our business to the next level.”

Progress to date
Their next venture is the creation of a Financielle app. The online application will turn the Financielle Playbook into a tracker for users to allow them to set their financial goals and provide guides, tips and prompts to encourage and support them in achieving key targets. They aim to launch the first version later in 2021.
The sisters have taken part in the Inspiring Futures Internship programme at the University of Chester via Chris Lawlan in Student Futures. They have taken an intern as a Virtual Digital Content Assistant who is currently doing a fantastic job at Financielle and Holly and Laura are delighted with her success. “[The student] has been an awesome addition to our team, straight away we saw the benefit of an extra pair of hands with really valuable ideas and insights” said Holly.

Scaling the business
Laura commented: “We are working hard to transition Financielle from an Instagram account to a globally-recognised financial well-being brand and the BGP is supporting us throughout this process. We have a vision to help millions of people become financially well and we are excited to scale the business through the development of our own mobile application.”

Development support
The sisters attended the Start-Up Bootcamp, `Grow, Thrive, Survive’, supporting and collaborating with other business owners and gaining insight from delivery partner Simon Calderbank from Ruby Star Associates. They also had one-to-one meetings with their Business Development Manager, Bryony Salter, to discuss investments, innovative support and a grant scheme.

BGP team input

The BGP team is enjoying supporting Financielle’s growth and looks forward to following its journey beyond the programme.
Bryony commented: “We are expecting big things from this duo, who are currently turning their Playbook into an interactive and engaging app and have ambitious plans to grow to a nine-figure turnover! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”

Engagement with other University of Chester opportunities
Holly and Laura are talking to Kelvin and Anna in the Business School about Fin-Tech and persuasive tech research opportunities, and even guest lecturing.

Expert growth support
The Cheshire and Warrington Business Growth Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Entrepreneurs, SMEs and pre-start businesses registered or trading in Cheshire and Warrington, meeting the eligibility criteria, can apply for support.

Find out more about Financielle here

Find out more about Cheshire and Warrington Business Growth Programme here