How we've helped Kernow Vitality

Kernow Vitality offers people the chance to have regular vitamin B12 injections, which can help to enhance and improve health and wellbeing. 

Kirsty, a community nurse for more than a decade, was confident she could administer the injections, having done so as part of her job countless times over the years.

What the busy mum-of-four needed was help and advice about setting up and running her own business.

“I didn’t have a clue – I just wasn’t confident about that side of things at all,” said Kirsty, who began researching what kind of help was available.

“A quick Google search later and I came across the Growth Hub,” she said. “I put my details in over a weekend and someone phoned me back on the Monday. They were so helpful – and didn’t laugh in my face!

“That was my biggest fear – that they would think this was a silly idea.”

Kirsty had done her background research and her experience had taught her that there was a demand for vitamin B12 injections.

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble B complex vitamin found naturally in foods, such as meat, fish and dairy products. This vitamin is important for several body processes but for some individuals, it can be hard to absorb this essential vitamin. That’s where an injection can be beneficial. Vitamin B12 is great for an energy boost and most people feel the effects 48 to 72 hours afterwards. The injections are for wellbeing and are not used to treat any specific conditions.

“I knew I wanted to do this, and I’ve seen the difference it can make to people,” said Kirsty.

“I’d thought long and hard about it but there was still that element of doubt in my mind about it working as a business idea.

“I had an initial online meeting with Growth Hub, and they went through everything, making it really simple and told me I could do this.

“By the time I came off the call, I felt so different. I knew I could make it work and that there was scope to make it profitable.”

Since her involvement with Growth Hub, Kirsty, who lives near Liskeard, has been on a fast-track business course to find out more about marketing and finance.

She has also had regular follow-up calls with the team at Growth Hub to make sure she’s on the right track.

“I’ve had one or two kids with me at all times!” said Kirsty, adding that Growth Hub has been very supportive of the fact that she’s starting a business with four children, aged between one and seven, in tow.

“They know my situation and they’ve been really good – and so friendly, telling me to just drop them an email if I have any questions and offering to signpost me to where I need to be.”

Kirsty launched Kernow Vitality in November and already has nine regular clients on her books.

She’s hoping to build on this, as well as add a vitamin C and D injection service later this year.

“I’m not treating, diagnosing or curing anything, this is just about people’s wellbeing,” said Kirsty. “I’m already getting the feedback I wanted and now it’s about getting the information out there.

“I’m really grateful to Growth Hub for giving me the confidence to get this far. I would certainly recommend them to anyone who has a business idea and wants to take the next step.”

The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth Hub from May 2016 -  June 2023 was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.  The project received £2,848,591.49 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.