The Real Reason I Left Dragons’ Den | Sara Davies
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How did Sara Davies start Crafter’s Companion and what early challenges did she face?
I've got no place in my life from BMWs. Bitching, whinging, moaning. I get a real buzz out of making money. But I actually don't need any more money in my life. I've always had a really unhealthy relationship with risk. Passion, vision and drive are the three things I hang my hat on. I know I'm a brilliant man and I'm a badass businesswoman and it's alright to be both.
Sarah, welcome to the pod.
Thank you very much. I feel like I'm in the hot seat here being stared down by, oh, he's got that twinkle in his eyes.
I feel like we've had a pod within a pod already. I've been, luckily enough, we were both early, so being able to get to know you is really important.
I'm just going to point out, I think it might be the first time in my life I've turned up early for anything. But then I feel like I've had this bonus half an hour with you. I'm like, I'm going to start showing up for things early in life more often than
ever. It's funny. Serendipity, isn't it? Welcome to the pod. Thank you so much for doing it. Like you are a business icon, I think, really. I put up on my story today off to London to see Sarah and so many people messaged going, she's my favourite. I love just nothing like, oh, ask her about this, ask her about that. It was like, she's my favourite. I love her. She's so good. Just nice messages.
Oh, you've given us goosebumps. You've made my day there. Thank you.
But that speaks to somebody. There's an Irish entrepreneur that sold his business this week, Gary Lavin. Sold it for 70 million, started 20 years ago. And all the messages, I put up a story going, Gary's been on the pod. Congrats to him. All the messages coming in were like, so happy for him. So glad he did it. You know, people respect that hustle. I think people respect when they see people like you out there grafting. People know you for many things. Dragon's Den, your own businesses. So I think we can kind of, people, we can assume people know who you are.
Well, I mean, I never like to be big-headed enough to always assume that, but maybe if you're already into business people, I guess hopefully there'll be Dragon's Den fans as well.
Yes, exactly. What are you excited about right now?
What I'm excited about right now? Interesting question. I feel like I've been on a bit of a journey the last couple of years. So it's 20 years last year since I started the business. And, you know, you'll know this from running your own business. There's no line where you finish and the business starts. It just all merges into one. And I feel like that's been my life for so many years. And I've been on quite a roller coaster with the business, Crafters Companion, that I started 20 years ago. And, you know, I... You know, I built that business. I sold that, you know, sold that business. It's what made me my millions. Then I started investing in the den, getting involved in other stories. And then last year I bought that business back to turn the business round because it had really fallen into disarray.
Bought it out of administration and turned the business round. And my word, turnaround is not for the faint hearted. And it has been probably the toughest 18 months of my life in terms of business. But nobody sees that. You see the Instagram versus reality. You know, I have to keep up that shiny facade on the outside. But really, it's been, I've had to dig deep. I've had to be more resilient than I thought even I could be. And it's taught me a lot about myself. And so it's made me realise, And it almost sounds crass to say it, so it's hard to say, but I love making money, as do many entrepreneurs. I get a real buzz out of making money, but I actually don't need any more money in my life. Having more money in my life is not going to bring me any more happiness, but making money is still making me happy.
Is it the scoreboard?
So that's it. So I'm kind of like at the stage in my life whereby... I want to do things that make me happy and that I'm really good at. But I want to have purpose and impact at the core of everything that I do. I really want to help other people on that journey because I get a kick out of that.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Sara Davies start Crafter’s Companion and what early challenges did she face?
0:00–8:07
2
Why did Sara decide to buy Crafter’s Companion back out of administration?
8:07–16:50
3
What were the biggest obstacles during the 18‑month turnaround and how did she overcome them?
16:50–24:58
4
Why did Sara step away from Dragons’ Den and how did that decision affect her family life?
24:58–33:37
5
How does Sara’s ADHD and hyper‑focus impact her work style and decision‑making?
33:37–43:14
6
What habits and routines does Sara use to build resilience and stay energized?
43:14–52:00
7
What criteria does Sara use when evaluating entrepreneurs and making investments?
52:00–1:01:13
8
Which books or resources does Sara recommend for aspiring founders?
1:01:13–1:10:01
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