Meet Sarah of Bon Designs, our second mentee who we’re going to be supporting through The Prince’s Trust…

In March we announced a three year partnership with leading youth charity, The Prince’s Trust. Championing their ‘Women Supporting Women’ initiative, empowering young creative women with an entrepreneurial flair to unlock their full potential. Each week we are going to be showcasing a mentee to find out about their story and what they are hoping to get out of the notonthehighstreet mentor scheme…

Why did you decide to reach out to The Prince’s Trust for support / funding? How did you hear about The Trust?

I found The Prince’s Trust when I was at a bit of a crossroads in my life; I had been living in Cumbria, and circumstances changed for me and I needed to come back home (close to London). As I had to move suddenly from the North of England to the South, I was looking for work, and I had been questioning for a long while about what I wanted to achieve in my life; I discovered that I really wanted to put my work out there and to be in charge of what I was doing. I found out about The Prince’s Trust through researching into setting up my own business, and I have been working on my business ever since.

What were you doing before you came to The Prince’s Trust? And what did a typical day look like for you?

Before The Prince’s Trust I had been working in a variety of heritage roles, one in particular was working for the National Trust where I illustrated for children’s trails and exhibitions. I won awards for the trails that I designed and implemented, and received National Media attention for my exhibitions. Despite being good at what I was doing, I didn’t feel fulfilled in illustrating for others. This led me on a path of working out how I could create and work for myself, for my work to be my own, and for others to see that I had created it.

How has The Prince’s Trust helped you to date?

The Prince’s Trust has helped me to hone in on exactly what I want my business to be, and what I want to achieve. My mentor with The Trust has really been such a great motivator and has encouraged me through all the ups and downs of creating my own business. It has been great to have help with all of the different areas of business, from marketing to SEO, to finance. My strengths really do not extend to figures and spreadsheets, so it has been so great to have support and back up on the things that you are unsure of.

Do you think it’s difficult for women to succeed in business? Do you feel you have faced barriers in starting up your business?

I think that there can be adversity towards women to succeed, but there are so many women running successful businesses that I think we are equaling out the odds. I have faced some barriers in not being taken seriously as I look younger than I am, but I think that it is hurdles like this that make us stronger.

What advice would you give to other young women trying to succeed in business?

I would give the advice to take the leap — to really think about what you want from life and then to go and achieve those dreams. I would say to just keep going; starting a business is harder than you think it might be, but keep going and we can all get through it together.

Tell us a bit about what you’re hoping to get out of the notonthehighstreet mentor programme.

I would really like creative support from people who really understand the handmade market. I have so many ideas, and so much creativity that I would really like advice and support in how to focus and create a range of products to boost my little business.

What are your dreams for the future / business goals?

My dreams for the future are to some day run my business full-time, to be able to teach others and run workshops as well as selling online and in independent shops. I would love for my brand to become known, and for people to have and enjoy my work in their homes; for me this is the best thing that I could achieve.

Check out our Women Supporting Women collection on the site here. 💁