Embroidery company Ted & Stitch was started by Randalstown mum Sarah, from her kitchen table, just as the pandemic began. This year they are celebrating a remarkable third year in business and provide employment to a total of 5 local people.
Founded with an initial investment of just £700 for a sewing machine the entrepreneur from the Antrim and Newtownabbey borough has opened a new workshop and seen sales increase by 225%.
Of her participation on the OPTIMAL business growth support programme, managed by Mallusk Enterprise Park in partnership with Antrim Enterprise and LEDCOM for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Sarah says:
“The support I have received from the Optimal programme has been a great help to my business. I’ve been able to avail of one to one mentor support tailored to my individual needs and also access to free webinars – more recently I attended one on exporting and it was eye opening.
Having the support of a fully funded expert mentor made us carve time out, think strategically and look at different aspects of our business with somebody who had the right eye. We worked on the business instead of in it, reviewed the goals we had set and sat back taking the time to think how we would achieve our ambitions.
It was really brilliant in assisting us to set targets as to what the future could look like and how to implement and make our goals a reality. The whole forward planning process was so insightful and showed us that we were holding ourselves back by not investing in more staff and as we continue on our growth journey we are aiming to take on more employees too, helping the day to day sustainability of the business when I need to step away.”
Of her entrepreneurial spirit Sarah says: – “I love what I do and I can truly say that our success is a result of sheer hard work and determination.”
To her fellow entrepreneurs and local businesses Sarah adds: “The support we have received through the Optimal programme has helped us grow and we are thankful for that I advise all businesses to get on board with the support available.”
About Ted & Stitch:
Ted & Stitch is an embroidered slogan clothing & branded workwear company
based in Randalstown.
Find out more at: https://tedandstitch.co.uk/
About the OPTIMAL business growth support programme:
OPTIMAL is Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s principal business support and growth programme which provides up to 5 days free, tailored and specialist business support to companies and social enterprises in the Borough.
The programme is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme and is managed by local enterprise agency Mallusk Enterprise Park in partnership with Antrim Enterprise and LEDCOM.
My OPTIMAL Business Growth Mentor guided me through the steps of forward planning to help make my growing business become sustainable for those daily and weekly moments when I, as the founder, need to step away from the production line.”