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.
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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.
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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.