sara davies journey

Dragons' Den's Sara Davies: my challenges and achievements as a woman in business

The Crafter's Companion founder on life's lessons, adapting to lockdown and how she'll be celebrating International Women's Day

• 21:22, 5 MAR 2021

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Sara Davies, entrepreneur and multi award-winning founder of Crafter’s Companion was a regular on TV channels with her products long before she became the youngest ever member of the panel of BBC show Dragons’ Den.

Born in Coundon, County Durham, Sara was at York University when the business first began with a simple product, a patented enveloper.

Now, the firm has more than 200 employees in the UK and the US, turns over more than £34m, sells into more than 40 countries worldwide through a strong online business, has its own TV studios and a string of bricks and mortar hobby haven shops which can’t wait to reopen next month.

For International Women’s Day 2021 Sara tells us how much she has learned on her career journey, how her business celebrates its women employees - and the advice she would love to give her teenage self.

What is your proudest achievement?

Career-wise I would have to say that receiving my MBE was my proudest achievement. When I told my mam and dad they cried because they were so proud, which made me feel very proud, and that moment is something I’ll never forget. On a personal level, having my kids is my proudest achievement.

When were you happiest?

Right now, because I think that lockdown has definitely changed my perspective on things. I read something the other day which was along the lines of: ‘I thought 2020 was going to be the year I got everything I always wanted, but it turned out to be the year I came to appreciate everything I already had’. That really resonated with me.

This past year has been one of the most challenging times and while I’ve had difficulties to face in the business and haven’t been able to see friends and loved ones, personally, I have felt very lucky to have been able to spend so much time at home.

I’ve got the career I love and drive hard for every day, but before, it has always come at a cost of compromise with being away from home a lot. Now for the past year, everything I used to have to travel for can now be done from our head office.

I can work remotely without compromising the business, but I’m able to put my kids to bed every evening which has meant the absolute world to me.

What is the best thing about your job?

I love the variety that comes with the job and I’m a big visionary. I get to dream up big ideas and then work hard to bring them to fruition. Plus, I get to work to develop people to be the best they can be and achieve success in their own careers.

Will you and Crafter’s Companion be doing anything to acknowledge International Women’s Day?

I’m attending the Northern Power Women Awards on International Women’s Day. I’ve been nominated for Outstanding Entrepreneur and it was postponed last year so I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s important that these kinds of celebrations go ahead, especially at the moment.

Also, HSN, our global TV shopping partner based in the US, is celebrating by hosting a panel event the following day and I’m thrilled to be taking part in that with some amazing women. We’ll be discussing barriers and challenges in our working life, what inspires us, and how we use our platforms.

Do you do anything in your business in particular to help women employees? And customers?

Being a woman with a thriving career and a young family, I appreciate the challenges that come with trying to manage both. For me, it’s not just about being flexible with them in their approach to work – which we also try to do as a company – it’s understanding and appreciating where they are at in terms of their family life and career paths, then being flexible about dialling up how work can fit around that.

At a certain point, a woman might need flexibility from an employer to allow them to drive the career forward whilst managing that against the demands of running a family. However, that same person might just need their employers to appreciate and empathise with the fact that her career may not be her top priority right at that moment. She might not need flexibility, but rather understanding and patience, for when things do change, and the career does become more of a priority.

As for our customers, 99% of our base is female so we completely understand and cater to their needs. We understand that our customers want more from us and from their purchases, they want to be inspired and supported, so we have created various online groups and lots of different places for inspiration and education.

Which woman in business has inspired you most and why? Do you have any other female role models?

My friend Fiona Cruickshank inspires me because she’s given me so much invaluable advice but I would also have to say another role model of mine is Steph McGovern. I really admire that way she has chased her career aspirations and has balanced those with having a family.

What are your views on gender pay equality?

I believe that regardless of gender, people should be paid proportionately and fairly for the work they are doing.

How can women help each to move ahead in their careers instead of compete? Do changes need to be made?

I see a lot of mutual support among women, especially in the North East and within the craft industry, in my role at Crafter’s Companion. In order for entrepreneurialism to thrive and for individual sectors to thrive, helping and supporting one another is in our best interest.

We can share our experiences with others so that they can learn from situations, and this advice and mentorship can be invaluable. Ultimately, watching others flourish and knowing that you might have played a small part in their success is extremely fulfilling.

What advice would you have given to your 18-year-old self?

I think the best piece of advice I could give my 18-year-old self would just to be comfortable in your own skin and try not to be something that you’re not.

When I was younger, in the early years of Crafter’s Companion, I used to power dress for external meetings because I was often the youngest, or the only female or the only northerner in the room. I felt that was what I needed to do to be able to command people’s respect in these kinds of environments.

Then a few years ago I had a bit of a wakeup call because I realised that it was me who had established the company and had helped it to grow. I decided to be myself and that it would either be good enough or it wouldn’t, and if something didn’t work out then that was okay because I had been true to myself and would never wonder, what if I was just more ‘me’?

What advice would you give women struggling in a male dominated industry?

Again, I would say be true to yourself and most importantly, let your hard work do the talking.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far?

A year after I launched Crafter’s Companion, a major stationery company tried to copy our most popular product, The Enveloper. I had patented the design so I took them to court but it was enormously stressful. I was very young, a bit naive and we stood to lose £250,000 in legal fees, which would have finished the business.

The only saving grace was that my boyfriend at the time – now husband – Simon quit his job as an accountant to work with me at Crafter’s Companion, taking on a lot of the day-to-day running of the business and financial stuff that I didn’t enjoy. We ended up winning and settling out of court but I took it very personally and I still remember it as my most difficult time. It taught me a huge lesson and we’ve successfully defended that same patent five times now.

Has being a woman in business ever hindered you in any way, and if yes, how?

No, because I wouldn’t let it.

Has Covid-19 changed how you operate your business? Will it emerge from the pandemic differently?

I think it has changed the way I operate because of what I mentioned earlier, having more time at home, balancing my career and family life and how that has impacted me and how it will continue to do so.

We have also changed a lot of things in the business so that we are able to function remotely in a successful way. For example, the investment in our state-of-the-art TV studios has supported us to broadcast externally all over the world from our headquarters in Newton Aycliffe, which reduces our need to travel in future.

How is your business going to change in the next five to 10 years?

Consumer shopping habits are largely moving online, and that’s exacerbated in our industry because we don’t just monitor trends in shopping habits, we have to understand where people go to for inspiration and education. Customers used to rely on going out to stores and watching demonstrations and now they’ve moved to seek out that inspiration online so we’ve accelerated a move forward in that area, which was already underway, with Crafter’s TV.

What do you like to do out of work?

Running. It’s great for exercise and positive endorphins but it also always for ‘me time’ to think through things.

What would you do if you had to change career?

I wouldn’t change it! I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur and I love my career.

Dragons’ Den has given me the opportunity to get involved in other businesses, which gives me the variety that some might aspire to have, without it having to impact my day job.

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Sara Davies shares her 5 top tips for starting a small business

Plus a full interview touching on vulnerability and entrepreneurship

Every Monday evening, 14-year-old Sara Davies, then Johnson, would drop in on her neighbours. She was on business. Sara was renovating a room in their homes. Each week, she would collect a small payment.

After a year, she would use the money to buy materials from her parents’ wallpaper and paint shop and hire a decorator. “It was a nice little revenue model. What I do now on shopping TV is not overly different,” she laughs.

Sara founded Crafter’s Companion , the multimillion-pound business that has made her name, at university. Today, it sells stamps and stencils, crochet kits and colouring pencils. But it owes its success to a tool Sara invented for making envelopes in her student digs and her ability to sell it on a shopping channel. Within half an hour of demoing it on air, she had persuaded 8,000 people they needed an Enveloper in their life. Crafters not only loved the product; they loved her.

For the next 10 years, Sara grew her craft business. Then, in 2019, she became a judge on Dragons’ Den , followed a couple of years later by a whirl on Strictly Come Dancing . Now, she’s back in the Den and is about to start filming her own BBC show, encouraging people to pitch their invention. “I’ll be able to empathise with them because I know what it’s like coming up with an idea.”

Sara’s drive has always been accompanied by empathy, warmth and a desire not to let anyone down – staff, friends, her children, herself. Growing up, she was quiet and unassuming. “I was shy… I lacked self-confidence. I went through school being in the background of everything.”

She didn’t mind knocking on neighbours’ doors because she was running a business. It was a family trait. Sara’s dad, Frank, ran a small transport company. Her mum, Susan, ran the local wallpaper and paint shop. Her parents showed Sara the value of hard work, while putting family first. The shop had been set up by Sara’s dad as the sort of business her mum could run while she looked after Sara and her younger sister, Helen. “They were quite traditional. My dad felt like he had to be the provider.”

By the time Sara graduated, Crafter’s Companion was making more money than the shop. Sara was determined to make it an even greater success. She had no ambitions to escape to the bright lights of a city. She wanted to stay close to home.

We meet today at The Nest , an eco-retreat on farmland, near where Sara lives and grew up in County Durham. It’s on one of her favourite running routes (she can easily run 15k). We’ve squelched across the farmland and are drying off in a wooden lodge, looking out at Hurworth Burn reservoir, which attracts sandpipers, nuthatches, wrens and kingfishers. The birds take Sara back to her childhood, when she would go to Low Barns nature reserve. “We’d sit in the hide waiting for birds and Dad would teach us the names. I could never remember them. I just loved being there.”

Sara grew up in Coundon, a former pit village, and spent her free time as a teenager going for local walks. “It probably sounds really dull, but I loved walking to this hamlet with my friends and looking down into the valley. We had this amazing view of Newton Cap Viaduct. It was spectacular.”

She became more attuned to the land on camping holidays . The Johnson family would go to the Lake District, taking an old van that Frank had retrofitted with parts of a caravan he’d dug out from a tip. Susan would sew the curtains and cushions.

Sara’s parents still live in the family home and she takes her two boys – Oliver, 10 and Charlie, 7 – there as much as she can. They play in the same recreation ground as she did beside the house and pick fruit and flowers for her from her parents’ allotment. Her husband, Simon, is executive director of her business. All the grandparents help look after the children.

.css-12hmvql{color:#5D654E;font-family:Kepler,Kepler-fallback,Kepler-roboto,Kepler-local,Helvetica,Arial,Serif;font-size:2.1875rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-12hmvql{font-size:2.5625rem;line-height:1.2;}}.css-12hmvql b,.css-12hmvql strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-12hmvql em,.css-12hmvql i{font-style:italic;font-family:inherit;} "The core values that underpin me are the ones I get from how my mam and dad"

Family is Sara’s top priority. “I look at the core values that underpin me – the family values – and I get that from how my mam and dad brought me up. That’s how I want my kids to grow up.” And yet Sara’s circumstances are very different. “The thing I often battle with is that I was brought up like that mainly because we didn’t have much money. That’s not the case for me. I can afford to take my kids on expensive holidays and do fancy things with them. But part of me doesn’t want to because I want them to have the same values.”

Sara’s two boys can see elements of her glamorous lifestyle – she flies to the US for work. She’s on TV. They also go on the occasional expensive holiday – they’ve recently been to Japan. But it’s not all airports and iPads. Last summer, Sara took the boys camping in the West Highlands . They were in one caravan; her parents in another. “We wild camped a couple of nights and went everywhere on our bikes. When it rained, we threw on our cagoules and got on with it.” Money could buy her boys extravagant birthday cakes and a cake business to boot. But Sara likes to bake the cakes herself. When she meets up with friends, they could go to a members’ club. They prefer to go for a walk.

Sara is brilliant company – chatty, open, witty. But her outgoing side, she says, has developed relatively recently. She talks of being too shy to go to mother and baby groups on her own ten years ago. She’d only go with a friend. “When somebody new arrived, I would be so worried about them feeling as I might that I would make a beeline for them and introduce myself,” she adds. It looked like Sara was being sociable, but really she was trying to ease their anxiety. “It’s become part of who I am.”

"When contestants walk through the lift doors, my heart goes out to them"

Contestants on Dragons’ Den benefit from Sara’s instinctive empathy. “When they walk through the lift doors, my heart goes out to them. They’re often so nervous they can’t get the words out. I sit there giving them encouraging smiles.” Dragons, it turns out, get nervous, too. “I used to think if you could have Peter Jones or Deborah Meaden in your business, why would you choose me?” Being repeatedly picked has given her confidence. “I realise I do have something to offer. Now I sit there thinking, if I’m right for you, you’ll choose me. It’s not personal. It’s business.”

Being in the public eye has its downsides. It’s one reason her family didn’t want her to go on the Den at all: her mum was worried about bad press. “The bigger a public persona I have the more people want to be friends with me and I’m suspicious of that sometimes,” Sara admits. “When I do find people who are kindred spirits, I cling to them in a big way.” On Strictly , she made friends with professional dancer Katya Jones and her partner, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty . “Adam and I have the perfect friendship, where you get more out of being with someone than you feel you’re giving – and they feel the same way.”

Strictly taught Sara the value of letting her guard down. Despite perfecting her steps for the cha-cha-cha in week one, Sara slumped to the bottom of the leaderboard. “I was in an absolute state. I’ve always worked really hard in life and seen results. I didn’t understand why this time it hadn’t led to success.” Watching the show, she realised she had been holding back. “I was used to keeping everyone at arm’s length. In business, I keep my armour on.” But the Strictly judges wanted Sara to let go. For the foxtrot the following week, she did and came top. “I thought people wouldn’t respect me as much for showing my vulnerability, but they respected me more.”

'I love finding something on Pinterest, having a go at it and taking pride in what I’ve made. '

Dancing demanded Sara’s full attention. Even switching off, she likes activities that occupy her brain. “I can’t just mindlessly watch TV. I don’t find that relaxing because I feel guilty about not doing something more meaningful.” She still occasionally dances with her Strictly partner, Aljaž Škorjanec – he’s a friend – but when the quickstep isn’t an option, she turns to craft, quilting and sewing cushions and table runners for everyone she knows. “I love finding something on Pinterest , having a go at it and taking pride in what I’ve made. I enjoy that sense of achievement.”

By any measure, Sara has achieved more than most. The challenge has been to remain herself. “I really like it when people who have seen me on the telly bump into me in Tesco and say I’m just how they expected,” she laughs. Those first customers would easily recognise her, too. “I want to remain authentically me.”

Making it big

1984: FAMILY LINE Born in Coundon, County Durham to Frank and Susan, who owned and ran the local wallpaper and paint shop

2005: AHEAD OF THE PACK Invents the Enveloper, a tool to make envelopes, while studying business at York University. Founds her business, Crafter’s Companion

2007: WEDDING BELLS Marries childhood sweetheart, Simon. They go on to have two children, Oliver, 10 and Charlie, now 7

2016: HIGH PRAISE Appointed an MBE for services to the economy

2019: PITCH PERFECT Joins Dragons’ Den as a judge, despite her family’s reservations

2021: BELLE OF THE BALLROOM Wows on Strictly Come Dancing , learning to show a more vulnerable side

2022: ONE FOR THE BOOKS Releases her autobiography, We Can All Make It (Penguin, £10.99)

2024: STAR TURNS Brings her trademark warmth to a new series of

Dragons’ Den and stars in her own BBC show for inventors, provisionally titled Making it with Sara Davies

Dragons’ Den is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer now.

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Dragons’ Den Businesswoman Sara Davies aka Television’s Crafting Queen Shares Her Secret Of Success

Dragons’ Den investor Sara Davies is an award-winning British entrepreneur, capitalist and TV personality. She is the owner and founder of Crafter’s Companion, a retail business founded by her while studying at the University of York. At the age of 35, she joined the Dragons’ Den panel becoming the youngest Dragon at that time. 

Dragon’s Den is a BBC TV programme where budding entrepreneurs share their business ideas for investment from the Dragons. 

In 2021, Sara was designated as the North East Ambassador for Smart Works Newcastle. The charity encourages and employs northeast women in the clothing and education sector.

Story of Sara Davies from Being an Entrepreneur to Becoming a Dragons’ Den Investor

Sara was born in Coundon, a village situated in County Durham, England. Since childhood, she aspired to be a businesswoman who inspires people. In 2005, Davies established her first company, Crafter’s Companion after noticing the unavailability of envelope-making tools in the market. With the help of her father and a local carpenter, she soon manufactured and marketed the tools and named it- Envelopers. Enveloper is a device that creates envelopes in different shapes for handmade greeting cards.

Sara launched the envelopers on a television shopping channel- Ideal World. Interestingly, she sold 8,000 Envelopers in the first 24 hours of its launch, and 30,000 units within six months.

In 2006, she completed her graduation with a first-class Business degree from the University of York. At that time, Sara had a successful venture with a turnover of over £5,00,000. Moreover, Crafter’s Companion is now among the world’s leading companies that deliver products to more than 40 countries. The company is headquartered in the North East of England.

Also Read: From Rags to Riches: Steven Bartlett’s Inspirational Journey

Sara davies honours and awards.

The turnover of Sara’s business is £34m a year. Crafter’s Companion is a team of 200 people. Also, Davies has won over 25 business awards and honours for her entrepreneurship, leadership and business ideas. In 2010, Davies received the Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award for her innovation and remarkable entrepreneurship.

Moreover, at the Shell Women of the Year Awards, she won the Entrepreneur of the Year award for single-handedly building her empire. In 2015, startups.co.uk listed Sara in the Young Guns Entrepreneurs of the Year class of 2015.

Additionally, Lloyds Bank has honoured her with 2 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards for recognizing her work and achievements. She received the Outstanding Contribution to British Business Award in 2019 and the Santander Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year award in 2010.

Also Read: Dragons’ Den Panellist Hilary Devey is the Toughest Businesswoman of All Time: Know Why

In 2016, the Cabinet Office appointed Sara as an MBE for her contribution to the industry and economy. MBE refers to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The government awards an MBE to the individuals who contribute to the country with exemplary work in arts and sciences, provide public service and work with charity and welfare organisations.

Net Worth of Dragons’ Den Sara Davies

Sara is very proud of building a loyal community of crafters and supporting so many people with her network. The net worth of the self-made magnate is estimated to be £37m. Moreover, Sara has invested approximately £1.11m at Dragon’s Den. Some of her popular investments include Shower Gem (a one-stop solution for restrooms) and Mak Tok- a Malaysian Chilli Paste. She also financed Pipe Easy (a tool that cuts round pipes), which has a net worth of £1m.

Besides, the Dragon has invested in Mini First Aid (a platform providing infant and child first aid classes to parents and caretakers), EasyTots (an award-winning store offering baby and toddler feeding products), and FlipTop (innovative table designers). Moreover, Sara invested in WillSow- Britain’s first plantable book for kids and teenagers.

In 2015, the entrepreneur hosted Be Creative, a craft show presented by Local Television Limited. Moreover, in April 2022, the entrepreneur shared her secrets to success in her debut book- We Can All Make It. Interestingly, in May 2022, her book became The Sunday Times Bestseller within a month of its launch. 

Moreover, being a philanthropist, Sara sponsors the Bradley Lowery Foundation- a campaign supporting fundraising for medical care. She also helps many other regional and national causes that look after children’s health and mental wellbeing.

Sara is popularly known as Television’s Crafting Queen. She also owns a website named Sara-davies.com , where she provides helpful advice to budding entrepreneurs. 

The entrepreneur has also published several articles about her journey and some of her popular articles include Life lessons from the ballroom, The Juggle – Running a business and a family, My Road to the Den, and Three Inspirational Business Lessons I Learned from My Parents. 

Sara Davies is an inspiration for many of us. From starting a business in her bedroom to creating a net worth of millions, the entrepreneur has proved over and over again that dreams do come true.

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What business does Strictly star Sara Davies own and how did she get rich?

The dragons' den investor's incredible career revealed.

Sara Davies is best known for being one of the stars of investing programme Dragons' Den , but more recently, she has been wowing audiences with her dancefloor moves in this year's  Strictly Come Dancing .

MORE:  What is Strictly's Sara Davies net worth?

But, have you ever wondered how Sara made her millions and became an investor? Find out how she made her millions here...

WATCH:  Strictly star Janette Manrara reveals 'struggle' at home with Aljaz Skorjanec

Business - and crafting - has always run in the 37-year-old's blood , and she spent her teenage years working in her parents' decorating shop. At the age of 21, she founded her own company, Crafter's Companion, from her university bedroom. 

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Spotting a gap in the market for an envelope-making tool for card makers, Sara decided to invent one herself! It became an instant hit with the crafting crowd, and with the help of her husband Simon, she grew the business from a kitchen table startup to a £34million business that now sells thousands of crafting must-haves all over the world.

Sara launched her first business at the age of 21 from her university bedroom

Over the last 15 years, the business has boomed; Crafter's Companion now has over 200 employees across the UK and US and Sara was even awarded an MBE for services to the economy in the Queen's 2016 Birthday Honours list.

MORE:  Strictly star opens up about major downside of show in candid interview

In 2019, she caught the eye of BBC bosses and joined the likes of Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Tej Lalvani and Touker Suleyman on Dragons' Den. She is the programme's youngest ever female investor and has made over £1.1million of investments on the show over the last two years. 

Speaking about her journey from the Den to the Strictly ballroom, she told the BBC: "It's been a dream I've had my whole life. When I got on the panel of Dragon's Den , alongside Deborah Meaden, she would talk about it all the time and people would say to me 'you might be asked to go on Strictly next!', and now here we are!"

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Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies said she is working harder than ever as her firm battles losses.

Sara’s £37million arts and crafts company is struggling with the cost of living crisis and effects of Brexit . On the show she dishes out money and advice to ailing businesses. But her Crafter’s Companion online firm, which supplies products to more than 30 countries, was £1million in the red last October and is due to file further losses this month.

Sara, 39, is now hiring experts as part of a multi-million pound restructure, including a new CEO who specialises in digital retail. She told the Mirror : “I’m just going to be really honest, it has been a rough couple of years. And I kind of don’t want to shy away from that because I always feel, especially with my role on Dragons’ Den, I’ve got that responsibility of being a bit of a role model. I’ve had to work harder than I ever have in my life.”

Sara said her firm, which she set up 18 years ago, enjoyed a boom during the pandemic and the craft industry has continued to grow. But she added: “We’ve been navigating all the other difficulties – the cost of living crisis, the raw materials cost increases, the energy crisis, war in Ukraine , plus the effects of Brexit.”

Following the restructure of the firm based in Darlington, County Durham, investor firm Growth Partner will be the majority shareholder but Sara remains owner, founder and director. She is also spending more time on her Dragons’ Den investments, and her new BBC show Making It, as well as her husband Simon and sons Oliver, 10, and Charlie, seven. Sara said she has full confidence in new CEO David Stern and investor Growth Partner, adding: “It’s a really exciting time for the company.”

The Dragon’s Den star, businesswoman and entrepreneur, Sara Davies spoke to the The Sunday Mirror's Invite Only podcast team at her officers in Darlington for the latest edition of their podcast.

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Sara Davies’ weight loss journey – her health targets and workout routine

12 months ago

Courtesy of The Sun and Sara Davies | Edited by RR

Get to know all the details about Sara Davies’ weight loss journey!

In September 2021, Sara Davies, a DRAGON’S Den star, astonished Strictly Come Dancing audiences with her incredible transformation.

Sara is a well-known British entrepreneur, businesswoman, and TV personality. She was a contestant in Strictly Come Dancing 2021.

Unfortunately, she became the seventh celebrity to be eliminated from the nineteenth series of the dancing reality show.

The businesswoman, who is the founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, has garnered numerous honors for her achievements in the industry, including 25 business awards and an MBE for services to the economy in 2016.

In April 2019, she replaced Jenny Campbell and joined the panel of Dragon’s Den for its seventeenth series.

Apart from her professional achievements, Sara Davies is making rounds on the internet for her incredible transformation. How many pounds did she shed from her weight loss journey ? Let’s find out:

How did Sara Davies lose weight?

Sara embarked on a weight-loss journey after physicians encouraged her to do so after she developed gestational diabetes throughout her pregnancy.

Soon after, she booked and paid for a trainer three mornings a week for three months right after the appointment.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sara Davies MBE (@saradaviescc)

Sara wrung every penny out of her trainer by pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. She described herself as feeling like Forrest Gump as she ran.

After running 11 kilometers, her body started to feel achy all over, but Sara had to keep running because it was a circular track. Her life was on the verge of killing her as a result of the runs.

However, Sara didn’t give up, and now she weighs 62 kg, which is her optimum weight.

Sara admits she’s not body confident

Being on national TV has made many celebrities want to lose weight. However, Sara has never bothered about flaunting her plumpy body on the screen.

Though she has admitted to not being body confident, she never fails to amaze viewers with her glam appearance.

Sara admitted to not being body confident | Courtesy of Sara Davies

Sara says :

“I’m not body confident at all. You’d think being on national TV would have made me want to lose weight – but clearly I wasn’t bothered enough!”

She even admitted worrying about wearing “skimpy” dresses on Strictly Come Dancing.

> Also Read: Who is Teresa Giudice’s husband Luis Ruelas?

Her health targets

Sara disclosed her health targets forward of the latest collection of Strictly Come Dancing. The Dragon’s Den star started working hard to get in better shape ahead of the competition, and she had big expectations for where her health will go next.

Courtesy of Sara Davies

The businesswoman revealed:

“I’ve been operating so much, so I’ve been making an attempt to get my health ranges up.”

Sara expressed her satisfaction with the coaching and her achievement of “peak health.” She indicated that she was keen to be “Strictly-fied” and show herself in a less severe light, rather than the austere persona she portrays on Dragon’s Den.

Sweta Shrestha

Sweta is a passionate writer who also happens to write more about heart breaks, romance and self-love. In her copious free time, she enjoys reading books.

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Dragons' Den star Sara Davies admits she's 'had a tough couple of years' after it was revealed her company is £1million in the red

By Laura Parkin For Mailonline

Published: 16:28 EDT, 10 April 2024 | Updated: 17:43 EDT, 10 April 2024

View comments

Sara Davies admits she's 'had a tough couple of years' after it was revealed her company is £1million in the red. 

The Dragons' Den star, 39, owns Crafter's Companion and in notes to the accounts for the year to March 2022, the directors describe the period as 'challenging.'

Revealing how she has had to work 'harder than ever before', Sara explained how her business has been affected by the cost of living crisis and Brexit . 

Speaking to The Mirror on Wednesday, she said: 'I’m just going to be really honest, it has been a rough couple of years. 

'I kind of don’t want to shy away from that because I always feel, especially with my role on Dragons’ Den, I’ve got that responsibility of being a bit of a role model.'

Sara Davies, 39, admits she's 'had a tough couple of years' after it was revealed her company is £1million in the red

Sara continued: 'I’ve had to work harder than I ever have in my life. We’ve been navigating all the other difficulties – the cost of living crisis, the raw materials cost increases, the energy crisis, war in, plus the effects of Brexit.' 

In October 2023, the company's auditors said: 'The group and the company has suffered from reduced sales orders post year end and is in breach of banking covenants. 

'As stated … these events or conditions indicate that material uncertainty exists that may cast doubt on the group and company's ability to continue as a going concern.'

A loan was taken out to prop up Crafter's Companion in July 2023. Accounts show a loss for the year of £1.27 million , compared with the previous year's £231,000 profit.

Sara joined Dragons' Den in 2019, when she was only 35, becoming the youngest dragon.

Crafter's Companion was founded when she was a university student and spotted a gap in the market for an envelope-making tool which could be used by card makers.

She designed the gadget and had a local joiner make them from MDF. The company now employs more than 190 staff.

Davies has won more than 25 business awards and in 2016 was recognised for services to the economy with an MBE.

The Dragons' Den star owns Crafter's Companion and in notes to the accounts for the year to March 2022, the directors describe the period as 'challenging'

Revealing how she has had to work 'harder than ever before', Sara explained how her business has been affected by the cost of living crisis and Brexit

She appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 and this year was a judge on The Ultimate Wedding Planner for the BBC.

A spokesperson said: 'Whilst these are incredibly challenging trading times, there is significant confidence in Crafter's Companion; hence the financial investment. 

'This will support the company's next stage of growth without passing any cost on to the consumer.'

• Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies admits it's been a 'rough couple of years' - Mirror Online

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Sara Davies, Vicky Pattison, Alex Scott and Laura Whitmore take on extreme Arctic conditions in Comic Relief’s coldest ever challenge for BBC One

15th February 2024

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Snow Going Back: Comic Relief vs. The Arctic will see four fearless celebrities take on a journey like no other

Sara Davies, Vicky Pattison, Alex Scott and Laura Whitmore will be pushed to the absolute limit as they trek across the Arctic in a bid to raise life changing money for Red Nose Day

Their formidable journey will be filmed by Shine TV for a special BBC One and iPlayer documentary to air in the lead up to Red Nose Day, which returns on Friday 15 March

Money raised by their extraordinary efforts could help tackle poverty, provide food, essential healthcare or safe shelter for people in the UK and around the world

To support Sara Davies, Vicky Pattison, Alex Scott and Laura Whitmore visit: www.comicrelief.com/arctic

Thursday 15 February 2024 : Four fearless celebrities - Sara Davies, Vicky Pattison, Alex Scott and Laura Whitmore – are set to take on Comic Relief's coldest ever challenge, Snow Going Back: Comic Relief vs. The Arctic, as they go to extreme lengths to raise life changing money for Red Nose Day.

Next week, Sara, Vicky, Alex and Laura will leave their home comforts behind as they embark on a challenge of a lifetime over 1,300 miles away, starting at the edge of the unforgiving Arctic Circle, in Tromsø Norway.

Over four long days, the foursome will face the most unpredictable and disorientating conditions, as they attempt to trek, cross country ski and cycle to the finish line 50km away, with only eight hours of daylight each day and a constant threat of snowstorms.

As they travel deeper into the silent and isolated Arctic wilderness, the team will need to work together to navigate snow-covered tundras, hidden frozen lakes, ferocious winds, and endure temperatures as low as -20 degrees. They will tackle the terrain where the British Special Forces train and will have to pitch their own tents, forgoing running water, heating, and electricity, with food limited to dried rations.

This extraordinary expedition promises to make a lasting mark on Comic Relief's history, showing the sheer strength and commitment these four women have as they do everything in their power to help raise much needed funds for Red Nose Day.

Every gruelling step of the formidable journey, which will no doubt push the boundaries of both their physical and mental resilience, will be captured for a special BBC One and iPlayer documentary to air in the lead up to Red Nose Day which returns on Friday 15 March.

Sara Davies said: “Comic Relief is something we sit down and watch as a family every year and last year I followed Emma Willis, Oti Mabuse and Rylan on the trek in Scotland and my son said to me, ‘Mammy that’s so amazing, why didn’t you go and help?’ It really hit home to me that I know I’m in a privileged position where I can go and do something to help raise funds, to do my bit, so this year that’s exactly what I’m doing.

“Mentally I think I can talk myself into whatever I need to do, but I’m worried about the technical side. I’ve never skied before, I’d never seen a ski in real life before we started training, so this whole adventure is pretty new territory for me."

Vicky Pattison said: “Everyone assumes that because I’m from the North East, I’m going to be able to handle the cold and that’s a complete lie. Everyone also thinks that because I was in the jungle, I’m like Bear Grylls in a bra...but I’m not! I like my home comforts, so camping in minus 20 degrees is out of my comfort zone and it makes me a little bit nervous, but a little bit excited as well!"

“There will be moments where I just want to give up, but I think what’s going to keep me going is the reason why I’m doing it. I was able to see first-hand where the money that Comic Relief raises goes, when I visited food bank and community hub, Hebburn Helps, which receives food from the Comic Relief-funded organisation, Fareshare. I found volunteering there so illuminating; most of us associate poverty and hunger with something happening miles away, you don’t think it’s happening on your doorstep. But it is - I saw how the work of Hebburn Helps and Fareshare is more important than ever. Donations to Red Nose Day are incredibly beneficial to charities like this and I saw that first hand.

Alex Scott MBE said: “This challenge is going to be so gruelling; I’ve never done anything like it before, I’ve never even been skiing, so just being out on the snow might be a problem! I’m used to having that captain’s arm band on and people seeing me as a leader because I was that athlete, but this is all new so I think you might see a different side to me. Yes, I’ll bring the fun and keep everyone going, but I think I might need my team mates to pull me through this one.

“I’m naturally competitive with myself, I don’t want to let anyone down, but what will really keep me going is the end goal of raising as much money as we can for Comic Relief, which will go a long way in helping change a lot of lives in the UK and around the world."

Laura Whitmore said: “I’ve been a part of supporting Comic Relief for as long as I can remember, and I love that the whole country and further afield gets behind it. It brings people together for a great cause, so I hope we can do that again this year – the bar is certainly set high with the likes of Greg James, Davina McCall, Emma Willis, Rylan, and Oti Mabuse having completed challenges before, that will give me the extra push to get to the end.

“I think it’s so empowering to be part of Comic Relief’s first ever celebrity all-female group like this. I think we’re all pretty tough cookies and we’ll all work really hard and push each other to persist, to hopefully raise a considerable amount of money. That’s the end goal that will keep us all going at the times when we’re absolutely freezing."

Red Nose Day returns at a difficult time for many, as millions face impossible choices just to get by. The money raised for Red Nose Day could help to put food on plates and roofs over heads, keep little ones safe and help support families affected by conflict and climate change. It’s never felt more important to come together to support people in the UK and around the world that are struggling.

To support Sara, Vicky, Alex and Laura visit www.comicrelief.com/arctic

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Sara Davies Weight Loss...

Sara davies weight loss journey: her health targets and workout routine.

By Sandy Published on December 3, 2021 , Updated on December 3, 2021

Sara Davies Weight Loss Journey: Her Health Targets and Workout Routine. Photo credit: Instagram/saradaviescc

In September 2021, Sara Davies, a DRAGON’S Den star, astonished Strictly Come Dancing audiences with her incredible transformation. Get to know all the details about Sara Davies’ weight loss journey.

Sara Davies is a well-known British entrepreneur, businesswoman, and TV personality. She was a contestant for Strictly Come Dancing 2021. Unfortunately, she became the seventh celebrity to be eliminated from the nineteenth series of the dancing reality show.

The businesswoman, who is the founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, has garnered numerous honors for her achievements in the industry, including 25 business awards and an MBE for services to the economy in 2016. In April 2019, she replaced Jenny Campbell and joined the panel of Dragon’s Den for its seventeenth series.

Apart from her professional achievements, Sara Davies is making rounds on the internet for her incredible transformation. How many pounds did she shed from her weight loss journey? Let’s find out:

Sara Davies Weight Loss Journey

Sara Davies embarked on a weight-loss journey after physicians encouraged her to do so after she developed gestational diabetes throughout her pregnancy.

Soon after, she booked and paid for a trainer three mornings a week for three months right after the appointment.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sara Davies MBE (@saradaviescc)

Sara wrung every penny out of her trainer by pushing herself to the point of exhaustion. She described herself as feeling like Forrest Gump as she ran.

After running 11 kilometers, her body started to feel achy all over, but Sara had to keep running because it was a circular track. Her life was on the verge of killing her as a result of the runs.

However, Sara didn’t give up, and now she weighs 62 kg, which is her optimum weight.

Sara Davies Admitted She’s not Body Confident

Being on national TV has made many celebrities want to lose weight. However, Sara has never bothered about flaunting her plumpy body on the screen. Though she has admitted to not being body confident, she never fails to amaze viewers with her glam appearance.

Sara Davies admitted to not being body confident. Photo credit: Instagram/saradaviescc

Sara says :

“I’m not body confident at all. You’d think being on national TV would have made me want to lose weight – but clearly I wasn’t bothered enough!

She even admitted worrying about wearing “skimpy” dresses on Strictly Come Dancing.

Sara Davies’ Health Targets

Sara disclosed her health targets forward of the latest collection of Strictly Come Dancing. The Dragon’s Den star started working hard to get in better shape ahead of the competition, and she had big expectations for where her health will go next.

Photo credit: Instagram/saradaviescc

The businesswoman revealed:

“I’ve been operating so much, so I’ve been making an attempt to get my health ranges up.”

Sara expressed her satisfaction with the coaching and her achievement of “peak health.” She indicated that she was keen to be “Strictly-fied” and show herself in a less severe light, rather than the austere persona she portrays on Dragon’s Den.

(References from irishmirror.ie, ex-fat.com)

Sara Davies

• Sara Davies Weight Loss Journey: Her Health Targets and Workout Routine 1 year ago

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BBC Dragons' Den star Sara Davies admits 'it's been a rough couple of years'

Dragons' Den star Sara Davies has confessed that it's been a 'rough couple of years' as her company grapples with losses.

Sara's arts and crafts business, valued at £37million, is feeling the pinch from the cost of living crisis and Brexit repercussions. Despite being known for offering financial aid and advice to struggling businesses on the show, her own online firm, Crafter's Companion, which exports products to over 30 countries, reported a loss of £1million last October and is expected to announce further losses this month.

In response to these challenges, Sara, 39, is bringing in specialists as part of a multi-million pound restructuring plan, including a new CEO with expertise in digital retail. Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "I'm just going to be really honest, it has been a rough couple of years. And I kind of don't want to shy away from that because I always feel, especially with my role on Dragons' Den, I've got that responsibility of being a bit of a role model. I've had to work harder than I ever have in my life."

Despite the difficulties, Sara revealed that her company, which she founded 18 years ago, experienced a surge during the pandemic and the craft industry has continued to expand. However, she acknowledged: "We've been navigating all the other difficulties the cost of living crisis, the raw materials cost increases, the energy crisis, war in Ukraine, plus the effects of Brexit."

Following a company restructure, investor firm Growth Partner will become the majority shareholder of the Darlington-based business. However, Sara Davies will retain her roles as owner, founder and director, reports the Mirror .

In addition to managing her business, she is also focusing on her investments from Dragons' Den, her new BBC show 'Making It', and spending time with her husband Simon and their two sons, Oliver, 10, and Charlie, seven. Sara expressed her full confidence in the new CEO David Stern and investor Growth Partner, stating: "It's a really exciting time for the company."

Sara Davies, star of Dragon's Den, entrepreneur and businesswoman, shared these insights during an interview with The Sunday Mirror's Invite Only podcast team at her offices in Darlington.

Crafting Queen

So, it’s fair to say that I’ve always had one foot in the door when it comes to crafting. I grew up surrounded by creative women; my mam did flower arranging, my nana sewed and my gran knitted and crocheted. Crafting practically runs in the family!

My first introduction to the craft industry was as a fresh-faced business management student at the University of York. During my year in industry, I went to work for a tiny little craft company which opened my eyes to an incredible industry with so much potential.

Like most people, I had made mother’s day cards as a kid, but here I discovered the world of creative papercraft. I fell in love with it, and watching, listening and getting involved in what was going on around me led to a real lightbulb moment. 

Cardmakers were producing beautiful, delicate cards, then having to cram them into ill-fitting envelopes. This was an amazing gap in the market and I wanted to dive right in! 

I worked with my dad and a local joiner to create The Enveloper, a tool to create bespoke envelopes for handmade cards. It sold like hot cakes and all of a sudden, I had a business on my hands!

Returning to university, I had a head full of magic, so many ideas and a determination not to let this opportunity pass by.

Crafter’s Companion was launched from my university bedroom. And to say it was a wild year would be an understatement! 

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How to make your own Valentine’s day card

How to make concertina love hearts

How to make a Pom pom Heart Wreath

How to make a ribbon rose

By the time I graduated, I had a first class honours degree and Crafter’s Companion was turning over more than half a million. That summer I jumped straight in at the deep end and just really went for it.

Today, Crafter’s Companion is a thriving global business, with a team of more than 200 people, two stores and offices in the US and UK. 

18 years on from that tiny university bedroom the company has expanded to become a market leader; designing and selling thousands of crafting products to customers across the world. 

From one inventive papercraft tool, we’ve grown to encompass everything from cardmaking die-cutting and papercraft, to art, colouring, sewing and needlecraft. We have a digital channel, Crafter’s TV, dedicated to demonstrations, tutorials and sharing crafting fun and inspiration with our amazing crafting community.

And there’s still so much more to come!

Craft Inspiration

Prima: Sara Davies shares toilet roll trick to make a Mother’s Day candle

Prima: Sara Davies shares handmade eucalyptus wreath

Country Life: Sara Davies shares her 5 top tips for starting a small business

Prima: Craft queen Sara Davies’ top tip for every beginner crafter

Prima: Sara Davies announces Christmas craft tour

Daily Mail: My haven, Sara Davies: The Dragons’ Den star and Strictly hopeful, 37, in her craft studio close to her home in County Durham

Our aim is to ignite the creative spark in crafters everywhere, from total beginners to experienced makers looking for their next big project. 

And not one to sit on an idea, I love that the Crafter’s Companion product range is constantly evolving. And that alongside affordable crafting essentials we’re always looking for the next innovative creative concept. 

On a personal note, I’m so happy that crafting has been my full-time job for the last 18 years. 

Whether presenting our products to TV shopping networks around the world, or getting stuck in from our headquarters in the North East, there’s never been a dull moment. 

Showing and teaching people how to make beautiful things is my happy place. And seeing our loyal community of crafters share inspiration and support is something that brings me a lot of joy. 

If you’ve ever seen me crafting live on TV or online, you’ll know that I’m passionate about the benefits of crafting. I’m a firm believer that having a creative outlet is just so good for our mental health and wellbeing. Take a look at some of my recent projects and start your crafting journey today!

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Author Interviews

Carys davies' 'clear' follows a reverend's journey to evict an island's lone tenant.

Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Carys Davies about her new novel, "Clear." The novel is set in Scotland during the 1840s, when tenant farmers were moved off the land and to cities and the coast.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The Reverend John Ferguson has broken away from the Church of Scotland to help found a new faith in 1843, but he needs to keep body and soul together for himself and his wife, Mary Ferguson. So he agrees to take on what we'd now call a gig, to sail to a small island to tell its lone inhabitant that he's being evicted. But John Ferguson arrives and falls from a high cliff. He's found by Ivar, who's been living a solitary life alongside his animals, with no human contact in any way. As he helps bring the Reverend Ferguson, the man who was going to evict him, back to life, the two men begin to know one another and develop their own distinct language. "Clear" is the new novel from Carys Davies, the Welsh-born novelist, who is recipient of the Royal Society of Literature's V.S. Pritchett Prize and she now resides in Edinburgh. Thanks so much for being with us.

CARYS DAVIES: Thanks very much for having me.

SIMON: These two men are profoundly different, aren't they?

DAVIES: They certainly are. One of them is an educated Presbyterian minister, and Ivar, as you say, has been living alone on a remote island off the far northeast coast of Scotland. The remains of his family, his grandmother, his mother and his brother's widow, left about 20 years ago for the new world. They'd given up on life on the island, but Ivar just couldn't bring himself to go. He couldn't imagine any other kind of life.

SIMON: Tell us about this period called The Clearances in the 1840s. I must say, it was a revelation to me.

DAVIES: So the - we're in the 1840s now. So these are the last brutally - most brutally coercive years of The Clearances, which have been going on since the middle of the previous century. Scottish landowners began clearing their estates of poor, unprofitable tenants and replacing them with sheep. And this sheep frontier, if you like, has been moving gradually further and further north as the landowners seek to make more money out of their estates than they can with their poorer, smaller tenants.

SIMON: John Ferguson's wife, Mary Ferguson, has doubts about her husband's mission, doesn't she?

DAVIES: She does. The thing you should know about John Ferguson is that as a Presbyterian minister, he is politically and socially very conservative. He respects the right of landowners to do as they will with their properties. Mary has a much more, I suppose, human and compassionate view, and she's very skeptical of the economist's view that these so-called improvements to the land are good for the people.

SIMON: How did John and Ivar begin to communicate?

DAVIES: Very slowly. They begin by Ivar pointing at things, wildly gesticulating, and John writing down the names of objects, the names of animals, the names of colors. The words Ivar has in his language are so many and so specific for very slightly differentiated things like, you know, a cloud with a bit of light shining on the top is a different word from a cloud with a bit of light shining underneath. And over a period of about a month, they begin to communicate in a sort of pidgin way, but with a certain amount of depth here and there.

SIMON: I want to get you to read a section, if you could, please. It might give us some idea of what begins to sound almost like a dialogue between the two people, the two men who don't understand each other.

DAVIES: (Reading) Still heavily padded with English, the whole thing was an excited mixture of speech and gestures, in which John Ferguson told him how he'd been down to the (speaking Norn) to wash his socks, or that he stayed inside because it was (speaking Norn) out, or that he'd filled the lamp from the (speaking Norn) and cleaned out the (speaking Norn), that he'd had a quick (speaking Norn) around, swept up the flogs of (speaking Norn) and brought in the (speaking Norn), or that he'd picked some (speaking Norn) he'd found growing in the (speaking Norn), scalded the (speaking Norn) and drained them and saved the (speaking Norn) to make soup, and for a little while now had been sitting in the (speaking Norn) going through everything he'd written down so far on the pages of his glossary.

SIMON: How did you develop that language?

DAVIES: This whole novel began one winter's night about 12 years ago. I'd been working in the lovely old reading room in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh and came across a dictionary in an extinct language I'd never heard of before, Norn, which I discovered had once been spoken on the islands of Orkney and Shetland off the far north coast of Scotland. For about a decade, I kept going back to this dictionary and reading it until a picture began to emerge of an island, and a man who I realized was the last speaker of this vanishing language.

SIMON: What do you think Ivar and John begin to - well, to see in one another?

DAVIES: It's mysterious. I'm not sure I can give you logical reasons. It's a bond that they form because they're alone. I'm always drawn to putting my characters in quite remote, desolate places. And it sounds a little harsh, perhaps that I like to put them in these sorts of places. But I do think it means that the distractions of everyday life fall away in these sorts of situations. And, you know, as humans, we're very good at not looking - not confronting things that we don't want to confront.

SIMON: Carys Davies, her new novel, "Clear." Thank you so much for being with us.

DAVIES: Thank you. It was a pleasure.

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Living with Lewy Body: A Neurologist’s Journey Through Research and Dementia Care

Dementia Matters Special Series: Voices of Research Participants

What do you do if you have a family history of dementia and are experiencing symptoms, but can’t get a diagnosis? Dr. Sara Langer has dealt with just that. In the latest episode of our Voices of Research Participants series, Dr. Langer shares the obstacles she endured to receive her diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD), how her background as a neurologist influenced her search for clinical care and how she turned to dementia research to find answers. She also discusses ways that the field of dementia research could improve to support those with other forms of dementia outside of Alzheimer’s disease.

Guest: Sara Langer, MD, neurologist

Co-host: Sarah Walter, MSc, program administrator, Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI)

Learn more about Sarah Walter at her bio on the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium website .

Listen to the first episode of the Voices of Research Participants series, “ From Caregiver to Research Participant: How One Woman’s Experience as a Dementia Caregiver Drew Her to Alzheimer’s Research ,” on our website, Spotify , Apple Podcasts and all podcast platforms.

Learn more about Lewy body dementia by watching the 2021 Dr. Daniel I. Kaufer Lecture, “ Diagnosis and Management of Dementia with Lewy Bodies ,” on our YouTube page.

Learn more about how to get a dementia diagnosis on our website.

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