CELEBRITY
INTERVIEW
“I read on a forum after my first
show, ‘I can’t understand a word
this girl from England says, but she
was so excited about that product
that I just had to buy it’!”
By her own admission, eventually becoming a mum
made Sara a better businesswoman. “One of the biggest
strengths I have in business is empathy. I can support
mothers in my workforce because I’ve been there myself.
In fact, I think it’s given us a competitive edge because we
are seen as an employer who understands and supports
mams. As a result, we attract really high-calibre women.
We employ 220 people now and around 70% are female,
many at executive level.”
Always by her side as the business has gone from
strength to strength has been Sara’s husband, Simon.
“Simon was my first boyfriend. I was 15 and he was 19
so it was quite a scandal at the time,” she recalls. “He’s all
I’ve ever known and is the love of my life. He’s never felt
emasculated by my success and there’s no ego there at all,
that’s why it works with us. The irony is that it’s actually
Simon who runs the business. I’m the driving force but he
does the day-to-day work.”
Having achieved the work-life balance she always
craved, Sara says her role now is more about coaching and
mentoring. “I’m the figurehead of the company so I still fly
all over the world, still do the shopping telly, which I love,
but I can work it so that I have time with my family.”
Dragons’ Den will be back on BBC Two this spring, but
Sara has no aspirations to change her career.
“I like dipping into the TV world, but I would never give
up my business because I love it. When I don’t, then that
would be the time to call it a day.”
So, we guess, there’s no tempting the intrepid Ms Davies
into the celebrity jungle? She throws back her blonde head
and lets out a huge laugh. “Absolutely no,” she insists. “No,
thank you very much!’
tees-life.co.uk
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