Dragons’ Den returns to BBC Two tonight (August 11) as budding entrepreneurs continue to seek investment. The panel of Dragons this year sees the likes of Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden return but also welcomes a new face in the form of businesswoman Sara Davies. Davies replaces Jenny Campbell on Dragons’ Den after making her fortune in the crafts industry.
How did Sara Davies make her fortune?
Sara Davies’ success began when she was studying at university.
The 35-year-old Dragons’ Den star was studying at the University of York when she set up a craft supplier company, Crafter’s Companion.
Davies explains the beginning of her story on the Crafter’s Companion official website.
The entrepreneur writes: “Crafter’s Companion started life as a big dream in my little university bedroom.
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“This is where I had my light bulb moment, and the Enveloper was born!”
The enveloper was a product designed to help customers design their very own unique, bespoke envelopes for homemade cards.
Davies continues: “Now after all these years (and lots of hard graft) later, my husband, Simon, and I have grown our product range to include not just crafting tools but stamps, dies, colouring mediums and a whole host of items to enhance your crafting journey and bolster your stash!
“Since 2015 we’ve also ventured into the sewing market with a selection of fabrics and sewing tools, and that also happens to be the year we realised another dream and opened our first bricks-and-mortar store next door to our shiny new headquarters in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.”
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Davies’ company has since gone global with stores and offices based in the USA.
However, the new Dragon says this global move has not distracted her from where the company first began.
Davies mentions: “While we might now have expanded into the USA with our California office, I’m a Coundon girl born and bred and proud that Crafter’s Companion is based in the North East of England.”
The BBC tycoon’s net worth isn’t out in the open but the Beeb do report that Crafter’s Companion turns over £34 million a year.
Crafter’s Companion also employs over 190 people globally.
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Speaking about landing the role on Dragons’ Den, Davies bared all to the Loose Women panel on August 7.
Davies told the Loose Women panel: “It’s one of them things, I used to actually watch the programme when I was at university, so I did a management degree and right at the end of my studies, Dragons’ Den started.
“So we would watch it and I just remember ever since, we would watch it and people would always say to me: ‘ You would be brilliant on that show,’
“I always thought I’d love to be on that show but you don’t just ring up the BBC – and I told one of my friends and he said just give them a ring.
“I said I can’t do that, so he did! He literally rang at the back end of last year, spoke to one of the producers and they said: ‘Yeah, absolutely!’
“They said: ‘We’re looking for a new female Dragon send her down we’ll have a chat with her,’
“And literally, the rest is history,” Davies said.
Dragons’ Den premieres on BBC Two tonight at 8pm.