Posted by Andrea Ashfield on 23 April 2019
Sara established Crafter's Companion from her university bedroom while studying for a business degree in 2005. She pitched an innovative prototype of what is known today as The Enveloper to TV bosses at the Ideal World shopping channel, who allowed her to present the product to their audience base. The Enveloper proved to be an instant hit with crafters and kickstarted the company's overwhelming success.
Today, Crafter's Companion employs almost 200 people, turns over more than £34 million worldwide and exports its products to Europe, Asia, South Africa and New Zealand, in addition to North and South America. The specialist craft business designs and manufactures many of its own products with the crafter in mind, and continues to grow through its TV shopping exposure, its own e-commerce platform and its presence in retail stores globally.
Sara, who is still a driving force in the global business, is a formidable businesswoman and with more than 25 business and industry accolades and an MBE as a result of her contribution to the craft industry, her credentials speak for themselves. She prides herself on encouraging and supporting new entrepreneurs, especially women, and has actively invested in many start-ups as an Angel Investor in the past.
“I'm absolutely delighted to join the other Dragons for the new series of the show. I've always been very passionate about investing time in and sharing my expertise with other entrepreneurs and hopefully I'll be able to help some of the contestants to really take their businesses to the next level,” she explains. “I've been a fan of the show since it started, I was even invited to pitch on the show 13 years ago so it feels like I've come a full circle. It wasn't all that long ago when I was in the position of the contestants so I really feel like I will be able to relate to their stories and their journeys so far. I understand the highs and lows of building a global business from the ground and taking that initial product idea all the way to market. I'm looking forward to getting started and hopefully being introduced to some businesses that I can really get excited about.”
Find out what's new at Crafter's Companion at www.crafterscompanion.co.uk
