Stutt Associates wins business competition worth £10,000

Cornwall Innovation has announced Stutt Associates as the winner of its annual business competition.

Following a rigorous assessment process, Stutt Associates, which was founded by Lisa Haywood, achieved the highest overall score across all judging criteria, demonstrating both commercial viability and a clear vision for growth within Cornwall’s professional services sector.

Matt Harrington, Head of Cornwall Innovation Centres, said: “Lisa is exactly the kind of entrepreneur we created this competition for. She has built her practice through sheer determination, smart use of social media and strategic relationship-building, and her ambition to make legal services more accessible in Cornwall really resonated with us.

We’re not just providing office space; we’re investing in Lisa and giving her the practical business support and mentoring she needs to grow and succeed on her own terms.”

This year’s competition saw record applications for the prize of 12 months’ free office space at Tremough Innovation Centre, along with business support and mentoring from partners including Business Cornwall, together worth £10,000.

Stutt Associates specialises in civil disputes, handling both personal and business matters, including property, wills, business ownership, contracts and debt collection. The firm focuses on providing straight-talking, practical advice at times convenient to clients to make legal services more accessible and affordable.

Lisa Haywood, Director of Stutt Associates, added, “Winning this competition is a real turning point for Stutt Associates. The combination of office space, mentoring and business support comes at exactly the right time. Working from home with five young children has its challenges, so having a dedicated professional workspace at Tremough Innovation Centre will allow us to properly focus on building local relationships and growing the practice here in Cornwall.

I’m particularly excited about the mentoring support as I work to strengthen referral networks, streamline our operations and bring on our first employee. Being part of the Innovation Centre community will open up so many collaborative opportunities, and I’m ready to make the most of it!”