Sara Davies is a British entrepreneur, businesswoman, television personality and craft expert who has built a distinctive career by combining creativity with practical business skills. Best known as the founder of Crafter’s Companion and for her appearances on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, she has become one of the most recognizable business personalities associated with British entrepreneurship. Her story is particularly interesting because her company began as a university project and eventually developed into an international craft business.
Born Sara Johnson on 23 April 1984 in Coundon, County Durham, Sara Davies grew up around entrepreneurship. Her parents ran businesses, and she developed an early understanding of work, customers and the importance of providing something people genuinely wanted. She later studied Business Management at the University of York, graduating with first-class honours in 2006. Her university years became the starting point for the business career that would eventually bring her national recognition.
Who Is Sara Davies?
Sara Davies is best known as the founder and creative director of Crafter’s Companion, a company serving the craft and creative market with products covering areas such as papercraft, art and needlecraft. Her career has extended beyond running a business, however. She has worked as a television presenter, craft expert, author, investor and motivational speaker, while also becoming a familiar face on British television.
Her public profile grew significantly after she joined Dragons’ Den in 2019. At the time, she became the youngest female investor to join the panel, bringing a different perspective based on her experience of developing a company from a small idea into an international operation. Rather than coming from a traditional corporate background, Davies had direct experience of product development, television selling, manufacturing, retail and entrepreneurship.
Sara Davies and the Beginning of Crafter’s Companion
The origins of Crafter’s Companion can be traced to Sara Davies’ time at university. During a placement with a small craft company, she noticed that people making handmade cards often struggled to find envelopes that properly matched their creations. She identified this as a practical gap in the market and began developing a tool that could help crafters make their own envelopes.
With assistance from her father, who had an engineering background, Davies developed a product known as The Enveloper. She eventually demonstrated it on the television shopping channel Ideal World. The response was remarkably strong, with reports stating that 1,500 units were sold within the first ten minutes and 30,000 within six months. By the time she graduated, the young company was already generating substantial sales, giving Davies the confidence to turn her university venture into a full-time business.
How Sara Davies Built Her Business Career
A major part of Sara Davies’ success has been her ability to understand that creating a good product is only one part of building a business. She developed strong skills in demonstrating products, communicating with customers and recognizing what makes an item commercially appealing. Television shopping became particularly important because it allowed her to explain the usefulness of craft products directly to consumers while building a recognizable personal brand at the same time.
Crafter’s Companion subsequently expanded beyond its original product into a much broader range of craft supplies and creative products. The company developed an international presence, selling to customers in numerous countries and establishing operations in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Davies’ journey demonstrated how a relatively simple product idea can become the foundation of a much larger enterprise when supported by customer understanding, innovation, marketing and disciplined growth.
Sara Davies on Dragons’ Den
In 2019, Sara Davies joined BBC’s Dragons’ Den, fulfilling an ambition connected with the programme that had existed since her university days. Interestingly, she had previously been approached about appearing on the show as an entrepreneur seeking investment. At that stage, she did not actually need outside funding, so she did not ultimately become a contestant. Years later, she returned to the programme from the opposite side of the negotiating table as an investor.
Her approach as a Dragon has often reflected her own entrepreneurial journey. Davies has emphasized the importance of the person behind an idea, explaining that a strong entrepreneur can sometimes develop an ordinary concept into something successful, while even an excellent idea can fail without effective leadership. During her time on the programme, she invested in businesses and offered founders practical advice based on her experience of developing a company from the ground up.
Sara Davies and Strictly Come Dancing
Business was not the only area in which Sara Davies became a television personality. In 2021, she appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, fulfilling a long-held ambition to take part in the popular dance competition. She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec during the nineteenth series. Her participation introduced her to an audience that may not previously have known her primarily as an entrepreneur or craft expert.
Davies’ Strictly experience also demonstrated another side of her personality. Away from business negotiations and television shopping demonstrations, viewers saw her taking on a demanding new skill and working through the pressures of live performance. She was eliminated in Week 8 following a dance-off, but continued with the wider Strictly Live Tour in January 2022. The experience became an important part of her television career and public identity.
Sara Davies’ Television and Media Career
Sara Davies’ television work extends well beyond Dragons’ Den and Strictly Come Dancing. She has appeared in programmes connected with crafting, lifestyle and entertainment and has worked as a presenter and craft expert. Her ability to explain ideas clearly and enthusiastically has helped her transition naturally between business television, shopping television and mainstream entertainment. Her official professional profile also identifies her work with programmes including BBC Morning Live.
Her television career continued to develop during the middle of the 2020s. ITV announced Time Is Money, a game show hosted by Davies, with its debut scheduled for January 2026. She also appeared in Celebrity Sabotage in 2026. These projects illustrate how her career has gradually moved beyond her original identity as a craft entrepreneur, establishing her as a broader television and media personality.
Sara Davies’ Awards, Books and Business Influence
Sara Davies was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE, in 2016 for services to the economy. The honour recognized the contribution she had made through entrepreneurship and the development of her business. By that point, her journey from a university bedroom to an international company had already established her as an important example of modern British entrepreneurship.
Davies has also shared her experiences through books and speaking engagements. Her published work includes We Can All Make It and Craft Your Year with Sara Davies: The Crafting Bible. Her professional speaking work focuses on motivation, entrepreneurship, self-belief and practical business lessons. Through these activities, she has positioned herself not only as a successful business owner but also as someone interested in helping other entrepreneurs understand the challenges of building and growing a company.
Sara Davies’ Family and Personal Life
Sara Davies married her childhood sweetheart, Simon, in 2007. Simon later joined Crafter’s Companion as managing director, taking responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company while Sara concentrated on business development and creative activities. The couple have two sons, Charlie and Oliver, and Davies has spoken publicly about the importance of family alongside her demanding professional life.
Her upbringing also appears to have influenced her attitude toward entrepreneurship. Her parents, Frank and Susan, were business owners, and Davies has described learning important lessons about hard work and putting family first while growing up. She has also recalled being shy and lacking confidence when she was younger, making her later success in television, public speaking and business particularly notable.
What Happened to Sara Davies and Dragons’ Den?
Sara Davies announced in March 2025 that she would step away from filming the next series of Dragons’ Den “for now” so she could concentrate on her own business interests. Her departure marked a change after several years as one of the programme’s investors. During her tenure, she became known for combining commercial judgment with an approachable and encouraging style when dealing with entrepreneurs.
The period also brought major developments for Crafter’s Companion. Reporting in 2025 described Davies stepping back from the company’s day-to-day role after the business went through financial difficulties and administration proceedings. The company was subsequently sold to Modella Capital through a pre-pack administration process. Later reporting indicated that Davies remained involved in supporting the business and increased her stake after Modella’s exit. These developments are important when discussing Sara Davies today because her career is no longer simply a story of uninterrupted business expansion; it also demonstrates the realities and risks that can accompany entrepreneurship.
Sara Davies’ Legacy and Business Lessons
sara davies story is arguably the journey from identifying a small customer problem to creating a recognizable international brand. Her first major opportunity came from noticing something that other people had accepted as normal: handmade cards often did not have envelopes that matched them properly. Instead of simply recognizing the inconvenience, she developed a product to solve it and then found an effective way to demonstrate that solution to customers.
Her career also illustrates why adaptability matters in business. Davies moved from student entrepreneur to company founder, television shopping presenter, Dragons’ Den investor, author, public speaker and mainstream television personality. Her later business challenges provide another lesson: entrepreneurial success involves managing risk as well as pursuing growth. Taken as a whole, her career offers a realistic example of how creativity, customer knowledge, communication and resilience can shape a long-term professional journey.
Sara Davies remains a prominent figure in British entrepreneurship and television. From founding Crafter’s Companion while studying at university to becoming an MBE, a Dragons’ Den investor, a Strictly Come Dancing contestant and a television presenter, her career has developed across several different industries. Her story continues to attract interest because it combines business achievement with creativity, family, television and the challenges of running a real company.
