SWIG Finance has helped Inspiration Agency acquire fellow Dorset marketing firm Darren Northeast PR via its £200 million South West Investment Fund.

The fund provides loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment of up to £5 million to help small and medium-sized businesses start or scale up.

Inspiration Agency was founded in 2011 by Louise Seager and provides a full range of marketing services, including strategy, branding, website design, social media and digital marketing.

Through its acquisition earlier this year of Darren Northeast PR, the agency has now added public relations and awards entries to its list of services.

Inspiration Agency was referred to SWIG Finance by Nick Gregory of Dorset Growth Hub.

Amanda Sheppard, business manager at SWIG Finance, said: “Louise was my very first customer enquiry having just started at SWIG Finance, and it was a pleasure to support the funding requirement she needed.

“Louise has done so well to build the business, with a strong team behind her to be in a position financially to take the next step and grow further by this acquisition – effectively doubling the size of the business overnight.

“With her drive and passion, Louise will navigate Inspiration Agency through integrating both businesses and go from strength to strength.

“I’m so pleased SWIG Finance and the South West Investment Fund could support her.”

Louise added: “Right from our initial introduction, SWIG has been absolutely fantastic.

“Amanda was happy to answer all of our questions and helped us fully understand our options, the process and resolve any issues quickly and efficiently.

“This kind of organic growth would’ve taken many years to achieve, so securing investment from the South West Investment Fund has really catapulted our business to the next level.

“I’d highly recommend SWIG Finance for small business finance – a wonderful service, life-changing for me and my team.”