Business partners Alex Archibald and Bethany Tomlinson who launched their healthy food eatery Lyfbar in Lawley, Telford under a year ago, have been selected as finalists for the West Midlands in the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards.

The duo are thrilled to be recognised by the Federation in theStart-up Business of the Year category in these prestigious awards which celebrate the contribution smaller businesses and the self-employed make to the UK.

Lyfbar in Lawley Square, provides healthy and convenient alternatives to traditional fast food.

Alex commented:

“We know that we have some stiff competition here in the West Midlands with so many talented people out there. This year’s accolade as a finalist is particularly rewarding as the Federation are now looking for ‘best of the best’ and we demonstrated solid evidence of the foundations we have built for our business.

“We are now looking forward to the regional final in Solihull in March and fingers crossed, thereafter heading for the national finals in London.”

He added:

“We continue to be blessed with so much local support for our concept – providing a social hub where people can enjoy healthier food options and learn about the benefits has touched a nerve in this region and we are working flat out to meet demand."

Launched just under a year ago, Lyfbar has already sold an incredible 110,000 food items in nearly 18,500 transactions.

Bethany works as a fitness social media influencer on Instagram (@beth_fitnessuk) with over 550,000 followers, reaching on average 4.5 million individuals a week. Her main aim is to promote balance to the online fitness community and she markets the business as an ideal way to enjoy fast but nutritious food as part of an active lifestyle.

Alex had run a similar business for two years on a smaller scale, and this was where he and Bethany first met. However, progress was however, stalled due to the limitations of the premises. Moving and upscaling the offer was the answer to grow the business and Lawley Village as an up and coming area offered bigger premises and target customers, allowing for better service and growth.

Lyfbar were originally helped with mentoring and funding from the Shropshire Youth Support Trust (SYST) charity* and members of its ASYSTORS Panel which nurtures entrepreneurial Shropshire talent.

David Lloyd, one of the ASYSTOR Mentors was delighted at the news and added:

“Alex and Bethany are an inspirational couple. From the first time we met them at the ASYSTOR panel, it was obvious they had the commitment and passion to make the difference. As their mentor, it has been heartening to see them grow from strength to strength and for prestigious organisations such as FSB to be recognising the contribution they are making to their locality.”