Beekeeper shortlisted in national photography competition

Louise Hurst, founder of Bone Shaker Balm, entered the PopUp Business School Summer Photo Challenge with a picture of herself at her apiary in Whirlow, Sheffield.

She said: “The pandemic has been a big one for me and my company as I am a start up and April 2020 was my planned launch date. I had my first trade show planned, that was cancelled, so I had to try and find some other way to start selling, especially as my plan was to sell to trade.”

She added: “Everything had to go online and I had to try and generate sales that way, however, this is almost impossible when you and your company are unknown.

“I am getting more and more interest and I have changed my plan. I have decided to try and get as much coverage as I can get so the product gets noticed and, hopefully, sales will follow.”

The products, which include hand balm and tattoo balm, are made in small batches with natural ingredients. She adds: “I love making and developing my own personal care items by hand and from scratch.

She added: “I only use the excess wax from the bee hives and would never take anything from their nest. This means my products won’t cause an environmental impact or any distress to the honey bees.”

PopUp Business School, which helps people to launch their own companies, is asking UK entrepreneurs to take a photograph which illustrates their business, or business idea, with the chance to win up to £200.

Chief executive Simon Paine said: “Business has changed so much in the past few months, we thought it’d be really interesting to get a glimpse into their world.”

The competition is open for entries until midnight on August 31. Visit https://www.popupbusinessschool.co.uk/photo-challenge.html