A Staffordshire entrepreneur from Cannock has reached the final of BBC's Interior Design Masters – and credits free business support from Stoke council for helping her succeed. Sophie Newlands set up Shag Interior in 2024 after building a following on social media with her interior design work. She competed on series seven of the primetime show and made it to the final, which aired on June 9.
Behind Sophie's television success lies a strategic business decision. She used two free programmes offered by Stoke council – Get Started and Grow, and Women in Business – to develop her understanding of company operations and finance. Sophie said: "I needed to understand finance and operations properly. The team were so helpful and I'd definitely recommend it to other new businesses."
Since launching Shag Interior, Sophie has expanded beyond her initial social media success to work with commercial clients. Her portfolio now includes projects for an architect's practice and a café-bar in Las Vegas. She has ambitious plans to design a boutique hotel as her business grows further.
Robin Hall, Stoke council's cabinet member for economy and skills, welcomed Sophie's achievement. He said: "It's fantastic to see Sophie's creative talent working for her. We're pleased our business support was there to help." The council's free business support programmes remain available to new entrepreneurs in the Stoke area looking to develop their ventures.