New Business Launch! Introducing Spark Creative...

Today I get to share some exciting news, I shared some sneak peeks at Stitches of something I was working on, a brand new business (running alongside my existing businesses!) with a good friend of mine Diane Rooney - I'm very pleased to tell you about the launch of Spark Creative!

Spark Creative was the merging of our ideas, Di and I had a lunch last year and we got to talking about business and our plans for the year ahead. Di asked me if I would write some content for a new business idea she was working on and I asked her for some help with one of mine, as we started talking, we realised we were basically starting the same business but with different approaches. As we discussed it more, we realised that the strengths in our differences could make a joint venture much more exciting than the two separate ventures we had planned, we merged our ideas, plans and visions together to create Spark Creative!

Spark Creative is an online resource for those of you who have, or are starting, a creative business. We'll be giving you inspiration, business tips, resources and all the things we wished we had known when we started out, including all of the mistakes so we can hopefully help you avoid the same ones and take the first steps to igniting your dream life!

We will be bringing you more information over the coming weeks and you'll start to see information on all of the exciting things we have in store, keep an eye on our new website, blog and Facebook page, or sign up for our email newsletter, for all the news as it happens as well as some great business inspiration and resources.

Thank you for dropping by and sharing in our excitement!
Sarah x

Kalixa Spirit of Small Business Award - Last Chance to Vote!

You may remember a couple of weeks ago I announced that I had won the Kalixa Spirit of Small Business Award (yay!) now I need your help in the final stage, there are just a few hours to go to register your vote for the overall winner and a life changing prize. Although I'm super grateful to have come this far I would be over the moon and jumping for joy to win the final round.

Please, please, please take just second to register your vote, it's just one click! You can click here to register your vote now.

Thank you all so so much for your support, it really means so much - it's hard to believe it was just 4 years ago I was unemployed and down to my last £40 and decided to take a chance, that chance has paid off many many times and now I can give back by employing and mentoring others alongside continuing to grow my business - go for your dreams! :o)

Thank you for dropping by today and thank you to everyone who has voted, it truly means the world to me

Sarah x

Sarah Hurley Wins Kalixa Spirit of Small Business Award!

So today I can share some BIG news with you, I'm so excited to announce that a couple of weeks ago I was told I had won the Kalixa Pro Spirit of Small Business Award as the best sole trader! I popped off to London last week to collect my lovely award...

and today, there is a big feature in the Daily Mirror on all of the award winners...

Including me!!

So this is where I'd be SUPER grateful for your help - all of the 12 category finalists now go forward to a public vote to win the overall outstanding Small Business of the Year award and a massive £10,000 prize! I can't tell you how much this would mean to me - it seems bizarre that less than 4 years ago I had just £40 and an idea, a dream, that I could create things that would make people happy, make them want to create things too, that I could make award winning toys that children love and that help them to learn and use their imagination, that I could write stories and books, appear on TV and inspire people to craft and discover things that they are good at. I never imagined I would have over 600 products at this point, sold in lots of lovely places around the world, that I would be on the board of directors for CHA UK helping to build the industry and help other people like me who wanted to make something happen for themselves, that I would be able to employ people (I couldn't even find myself a job back then!!) and mentor other small businesses and watch them flourish and grow and yet just 4 years later here I am! I'm totally thrilled to win this one as it's the first award for me personally (others I've won have been for my products - which of course I love too!!) so I hope you'll spare just a minute to click here and vote for me!

Thank you all so SO much!

Lots of Love

Sarah x