Lee-on-the-Solent entrepreneur's new online selling platform BuyIndie shortlisted for award months after launch

Susan Bonnar, an entrepreneur from Lee-on-the-Solent best known for The British Craft House, started her new venture BuyIndie last year. The business is an all-British alternative to the marketplaces such as Etsy, allowing creatives and artists to sell their wares.

BuyIndie is now a contender in the upcoming StartUp Awards ceremony – being nominated for the Rising Star category in the South East region. Ms Bonnar said: ‘It’s a great honour for BuyIndie to be recognised so soon after its launch.

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‘It goes to show that it was something that was needed for those talented makers, crafters and independent businesses in the UK who were looking for an affordable alternative to traditional websites and expensive selling platforms online.’

The StartUp Awards receives over 5,000 applications annually and celebrates the success of news businesses across the UK. It was launched by the founders of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and the Wales StartUp Awards.

Having previously been an exclusively Welsh prize gathering, they now operate nationally. The aim of the StartUp Awards is to highlight those who have had an idea and had the courage to bring it to life.

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Ms Bonnar will find out if BuyIndie will take home the crown of Rising Star at a ceremony in Hayward’s Heath on June 1. ‘Hopefully this news will shine a positive light on BuyIndie and direct more talented creators our way. That way, we’ll be able to support more independent businesses and help the economy even more.’

Professor Dylan Jones OBE, founder of the StartUp Awards said: ‘New firms are critical in generating economic prosperity, employment opportunities and innovation in every corner of the UK. In 2023, the StartUp Awards will again be celebrating the amazing contribution made by entrepreneurs and their new ventures across 10 nations and regions, and will recognise the tremendous impact they are having on the economy, society and their local economies.’

Ms Bonnar has previously been invited to Westminster to discuss cashflow issues surrounding small businesses; selling wares at the Downing Street Christmas Market and raising thousands for charity.