A Dorset-based business adviser says she feels “chuffed and very humbled” after winning a national award.

Enterprise Nation named Hatty Fawcett as Adviser of the Year in the Finance & Accounting category of its Adviser Awards 2022.

She was among ten ‘best of the best’ winning awards after start-up founders and small business owners across the UK voted for their favourite advisers.

Hatty, who founded Focused for Business in 2014, works with start-ups and small business owners to give them the clarity, connections and confidence to attract – and choose – the right investors for their business.

She has helped raise over £4.5 million for her clients over the last 12 months.

One start-up who worked with Hatty said: “Hatty has been a guiding light in helping us prepare our investment pack.

“Not only is her knowledge and advice excellent, she has an amazing network of experts to tap into too.”

Another start-up founder commented: “Before meeting Hatty I didn’t understand my business potential – or my financials. Now I do!”

Hatty, who lives in Swanage, said: “I’m really chuffed and very humbled to have won this award.

“I love what I do.

“Seeing the difference start-up funding makes to all the hard working, vision-led founders who want to make a difference in the world – and who often don’t think they can access funding –  is reward enough for me.

“I want to level the playing field when it comes to raising equity investment.

“There is so much that gets in the way.

“When you look at how little investment goes to female start-up founders or to founders from ethnically diverse backgrounds it is shocking.

“The statistics for investment in businesses based outside of London and the South-East do not make for happy reading either.

“For many start-up founders, raising start-up funding looks scary, complicated, full of jargon and just plain ‘hard’.

“It can feel like something that is only open to you if you have a wealthy network or if you are brave enough to pitch on Dragon’s Den.

“I’m doing my bit to demystify the ‘game of smoke and mirrors’, to de-bunk the jargon that gets used and to provide a clear roadmap for running a successful equity funding round.

“I want all start-up founders – especially those raising equity investment for the first or second time – to realise that it is possible to raise investment to grow their start-up.”

Hatty, a keen dinghy sailor, moved to Swanage eight years ago.

News of her national award came in the same week that she heard that she’d come second in Swanage Sailing Club’s Ladies Cup race.

Hatty also plays bassoon in the Swanage Town Band.

Enterprise Nation provides expert advice and support for small businesses.

Founded by Emma Jones CBE in 2005, it has supported more than 500,000 businesses in the last year.

• focusedforbusiness.com