7 March 2021|Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Squirrel Sisters is an award-winning, no added sugar snacking brand. Founded by sisters Gracie & Sophie Tyrrell who are on a mission to revolutionise the snacking category with their award-winning snacks and online shop. Their snack are available in major retailers like Sainsbury’s, Holland & Barrett, Waitrose, Whole Foods, Ocado and many more. The sisters launched the business in 2015 after Sophie was diagnosed with a heart condition that needed surgery. After the surgery Sophie was unable to eat processed or sugary foods so Gracie made it her mission to create delicious treats that Sophie could enjoy that ticked all the health credentials that she needed. Squirrel Sisters is now a global success after launching in the US and Middle East this year. The sisters also landed a trial listing in Sainsbury’s, but they need your help in order to get a permanent listing. You can find out more about this on their website.
What would you love to share to encourage other women to start their own business?
Running a business is tough but it’s incredibly rewarding too. Did you know that women led small businesses contribute £85 billion to the UK economy…. how incredible is that. Being part of that number makes us so proud and we encourage more women to join. There is no better time to start your own business than now.
What are your 5 top tips for entrepreneurial success?
Always Trust Your Gut– If something doesn’t feel quite right then it probably isn’t. There are always a lot of big decisions to make when running your own company so take your time and if you’ve got any doubt then don’t do it.
Passion, Persistence and Patience– Running a business is not easy so you need passion to keep going, persistence to make it happen and patience because it doesn’t happen overnight… it takes time so stick with it!
Work With People That Share Your Values– Being sisters you would think that we would struggle to work together; we often get asked if we argue but we genuinely don’t. We work incredibly well together because we share the same vision and have the same values, we trust each other implicitly and complement each other perfectly because our skills our very different. We now only work with people who we feel that about, it’s so important for a long-lasting partnership.
Don’t Compare– it’s too easy these days with social media to compare yourselves to others and as business owners it can be dangerous; looking at other businesses and what they are doing (which if it’s on social media will only be the ‘best’ bits) can make you feel bad so we’ve learnt to let it inspire us rather than making us feel inadequate.
Enjoy It- there are many positives to having your own business the main one being that you’re your own boss but it’s important to remember that you need to enjoy it. We have always said that if it ever got to a stage where we didn’t love it anymore then we would stop because like we mentioned before it’s all about passion. If the passion has gone then there’s no point.
Who are the 5 women who inspire you the most?
Holly Tucker, Founder of Not on The High Street and Holly&Co
Renée Elliott, Founder of Planet Organic
Beyoncé!
Our Mum, Jean.
Jacqueline Gold, Founder of Ann Summers (her story is just incredible!).
What is your favourite inspirational quote?
Always trust your gut
Website & Socials
Website: https://squirrelsisters.com
Social handle: @squirrelsisters
