When Sarah first set up The Creation Station she set out hoping to be able to do something that would fit in around her children which would be fun and that would earn her a decent income at the same time. The inspiration for the business came from having three boys to keep occupied. Sarah had to come up with creative ways to keep them busy but she found it hard to enjoy the activities with them because she was too busy getting everything out, washing up and trying to get them clean before they charged through the house. She realised that this must be an issue many other parents also faced and she set about creating an experience for children and their parents or carers that wasn’t quite like anything else available.
UK’s number one…
Her aim was to inspire children’s natural creativity at an early age in a safe and nurturing environment with the involvement of the parent or carer; not only was it great for children’s development but it was really good fun to do this creative stuff with a child, especially when the ‘mess’ was not an issue, and all the planning and clearing up was done for you.
A few years down the line and Sarah is now the proud owner of the UK’s number one creative children’s franchise which has so far helped over 30 other mothers to achieve the perfect work / life balance too! The Creation Station has now been enjoyed by thousands of children and their parents all over the UK and they are set to keep on growing.
However, Sarah has been faced with a number of challenges that would have left many business owners crumbling under the pressure. Both of the main suppliers of her arts and crafts materials went bust and Sarah tried to buy both of them but for various reasons it wasn’t appropriate. In essence she was left with no supplier for 80 products she needed in order to be able to deliver The Creation Station activities – a big problem.
Nothing gets in her way…
Another challenge was that Sarah’s franchisee manager moved on suddenly. Whenever a team member team leaves, no matter what the circumstances are, there is a period of upheaval which is rarely easy to deal with. An old health problem which had prevented Sarah from walking for a few years in the past also returned which has been an additional challenge and her business numbers had stopped improving.
Doubled her turnover…
Despite the challenges she was having, Sarah decided that for ‘a bit of fun’ she would see if she could double the turnover in the next Quarter. In fact, not only did Sarah double her business once again but she also began implementing a social media strategy AND she’s moved into a new premises with a warehouse. This allowed her to carry her own stock and ensure she had greater control of this area of her business. She’s found a new supplier in China too and she’s launched her new online shop selling arts and crafts materials.
Challenges or opportunities…
Sarah has a great saying; “You can either look at things as challenges or opportunities” and she’s absolutely right.
Where others would have crumbled under the pressure she was facing, Sarah only saw the opportunities, stayed positive and came out smelling of roses.
