Jonny and Samantha have funded the business themselves

An online make-up business in Preston has been ranked as one of the top 10 start-ups of the year.

Dollz, started by Lea-based Samantha Mercer and her partner Jonny, acts as an online booking service for hair, make-up and beauty professionals.

Samantha, who started the company in July this year, has seen it grow to achieve over 1,000 visitors a month.

They’re now in the running to win up to £10,000 in the Smarta business awards.

Dollz founder Samantha Mercer

Samantha said: “Dollz was conceived by myself and my partner, Jonny ,a web designer. We discovered there was a gap in the market for a national network of the best mobile beauty industry creatives having found that the only existing facilities were directories that lacked quality control.

“Basically anyone could register without any evidence of their qualification and often a small fee could propel them to the top of the directory list. We felt this was highly flawed and often misleading for customers. Add to this that they would then have to visit 3 different sites to make their 3 bookings for hair, makeup and nails. This is where Dollz comes in. One site for all services, covering the whole of the country and guaranteeing the best creatives within their field, yet still at a competitive price.

Dollz has won many celebrity backers, counting Nancy Sorrell, Daniella Westbrook, Abigail Clarke, James Brown, Jade Jones NBA, Chloe Simms and Cherelle Rose among their social media followers. Their Twitter following stands at more than 30,000.