Three young entrepreneurs assisted by HIE Moray and The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) are going from strength to strength. 

Stevenson's School of Dance, Restaurant 55 and The Beauty Box are all thriving new businesses based in the Moray area, which have received a combination of financial assistance and business advice to help turn business ideas into successful fledgling companies.

Qualified dance teacher Fiona Stevenson (27) fulfilled her ambition when she set up Stevenson's School of Dance in October 2006. "I wanted to bring the joy of dance to the children in the community and to give them an interest they can grow to be passionate about just as I did," Fiona explains.

Fiona received business advice, assistance with training and a start up grant of £1,040 to help launch her school. "The three day start up course was good because it taught me about advertising, marketing and sales, while the business planning helped me set financial targets. The grant has been particularly useful in the beginning because there are so many unexpected things you need to budget for."

The school, which is held in the Bishopmill Hall, offers weekly classes predominantly to girls aged four to 18 in majorette baton twirling, rock and roll, and disco dancing. "The most surprising aspect has been the interest from older girls," Fiona says. Fiona has also seen a huge demand for dance tuition in the local secondary schools' leisure weeks which run during May. In addition to Baton Teacher Training, Fiona has recently completed her Diploma in Cheer Dance.

Chef Dave Buchanan (23) opened Restaurant 55 in Elgin with a Burns' themed launch in January raising over £500 for local charities. Originally from Paisley, Dave is no stranger to business having run his own chef temping agency in Renfrewshire for two and a half years. "I can't praise HIE Moray enough; the business start up advice I've received has been absolutely invaluable," says Dave.

In addition to the advice, Dave received a start up grant of £1,040 to help open Restaurant 55, which serves fresh locally-sourced food with a modern twist. "The grant has certainly eased cash flow in these early days," Dave says. Employing nine staff in total - two full-time and seven part-time - Restaurant 55 offers fair-trade organic coffees, snacks, lunches and evening meals, as well as a wireless internet hot spot for business people in the area.

Dave also has regular events planned for the rest of the year to help raise money for local charities as well as boosting the profile of the restaurant. "I've worked internationally and I want to do something that's not already available here. There are a number of good restaurants in the area but in Glasgow, for example, there are a number of good restaurants in one street," he points out.

Beauty therapist Naomi Reid (21) began running her business, The Beauty Box, full-time in March 2006. She had already spent two years working part-time to build up a regular client base and develop her professional skills. Naomi received help and advice from HIE Moray to develop and write a business plan which she used to successfully apply to The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust for support.

"HIE Moray was my first port of call to take the business forward and having access to experienced business people was a huge boost," says Naomi. "Without the business plan we couldn't have approached PSYBT."

Naomi also attended HIE Moray's three day business start up course. "The advice and workshops on the course enabled me to gain a better understanding of the business world - aspects such as taxation and accounting. It covered such a wide range of activities including advertising, which I found really interesting and useful."

In addition to a full range of beauty treatments, Naomi has quickly developed a reputation for her skincare and make-up expertise. She is an advocate of natural products and was the first salon in Moray to use the cult American cosmetic range I.D. Bare Escentuals.

"The products are made from pure minerals, are completely natural and are an extension of a good skincare regime," Naomi explains. The beautician hosts workshops to introduce clients to the cosmetic range used on the set of popular sitcom Friends, donating proceeds from last year's events to the British Heart Foundation. 

Further testament to the success of the three new businesses is their place in this year's Make it in Moray competition finals. The winner, who will receive a cash prize of £5,000, will be announced by competition organisers, Elgin-based Springfield Properties, in March.