Liz Colleran has been awarded Forward Ladies Business Woman of the Year due to the success of her product, the Duvalay.
Effectively a combination of a portable memory foam mattress topper along with a special shaped duvet, this portable sleeping solution first came to the public’s attention back in 2011 when it featured, alongside Ms Colleran, on an episode of Dragon’s Den.
The assembled investors were impressed too, with Hilary Devey opting to pay £80,000 for a 26 per cent share in the business.
Since then, Ms Colleran’s budding enterprise has gone from strength-to-strength, with Duvalay reporting a ten per cent profit increase in 2012, as caravan owners flocked to purchase this innovative product.
Recognition has duly followed, with the entrepreneur previously picking up a Motorhome Monthly Award followed by a 2012 Forward Ladies Business Woman of the Year honour and Manufacturing Business Woman of the Year in Leeds last week (Saturday 24 November).
“Running a business is hard, and moments like this where your hard work is recognised make it all worthwhile,” Ms Colleran told Bailey & Birstal News.
The judges praised her efforts and business acumen: “Liz is ambitious and has plenty of drive to grow the business through selective customer targeting and exports.”
