North East entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star Sara Davies has revealed how her company is investing £500,000 to boost her position as the ‘crafting queen’ of the UK.
Sara was 21 and studying at University of York when she founded papercraft business Crafter’s Companion, which she has grown the company into a £38m turnover global enterprise employing more than 220 people with the help of husband Simon. A lot of the Newton Aycliffe firm’s success has been built upon Sara’s regular appearances on hobby and shopping channels in the UK, US and Germany to promote products.
Now the entrepreneur – soon to appear as a judge on BBC wedding themed show, Master of Ceremonies – has discussed her business journey with pupils at a Tyneside school, while telling of her plans to be known as the ultimate ‘voice of authority’ on crafting. The Coundon-born Strictly star said Crafter’s Companion, which sells crafting tools and supplies across the UK and in countries around the globe, will invest £500,000 in technology to bolster her presence online.
Read more: Crafter's Companion invests for future and creates jobs despite battling rising costs
She explained: “If you want to learn how to make a Victoria sandwich and search recipes online you choose the Mary Berry one because you trust that if she says it’s the best, then it’s the best. When people want to learn about craft and start searching online, I want to be that voice of authority. I want to be the Mary Berry of the crafting world!”
The Dragons' Den investor gave an inspirational lecture about her transformative schooldays to an audience at Dame Allan’s Schools in Fenham, Newcastle, telling how she had been a “middle of the road student” at St John’s School and Sixth Form College, in Bishop Auckland but had the “drive, determination and passion to succeed”.
She said: “I’ve got where I have because of my mindset. If you meet anyone who knows me – people who do business with me, the other Dragons - and you ask them to sum me up in a couple of words, the first word to come out of anybody’s mouth is ‘driven’.”
Sara, who was awarded an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to the economy, was invited to talk at Dame Allan’s as part of the Schools’ lecture programme aimed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, business leaders and creative minds.
Principal Will Scott said: “It was an honour to welcome Sara to Dame Allan’s and hear her talk about the importance of her own defining schooldays to a captivated audience. These lectures aim to raise the aspirations of our pupils and I’m in no doubt that Sara’s clear drive, determination and passion– and of course her incredibly successful career – will have inspired all those who attended.”
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