From a standing start in 2024, promotional merchandise company Brandily now has a team of 10 working with clients based around the world.

Founded by Staffordshire-based former business studies and digital media teacher Sarah Lilley, Brandily draws on her core skills and gives her the flexibility to run a growing business around being a mum.

She describes her work as akin to being a personal shopper to find the right merchandise for businesses and organisations, hone the artwork and then deliver.

“I was a teacher for 20 years, which I left to become an online Spanish teacher, then I had the idea for Brandily and it all fell into place,” she said.

“With the support of my partner and the people around me I launched my own business. I wouldn’t change it for the world now.”

Sarah’s clients include the likes of tourist attractions, education, the care industry, business organisations, theatres and more with orders sometimes reaching tens of thousands of pounds. Brandily has already won Government tenders.

“Some of our clients know exactly what they want but others like us to go away and come up with a shopping list for them. We have a graphic design team who make sure the artwork is just right and a back-office team who look after invoicing, human resources and so on.”

Sarah, who speaks four languages, has an office at Scholar Green and her admin team is based in London but the nature of her work means she can work with clients as far afield as the US and around Europe.

She added: “I founded Brandily in 2024 and identified an opportunity to disrupt the promotional merchandise industry by delivering a more strategic, design-led and fully managed service.

“Acting on this vision, I scaled the business from a standing start to an international operation serving clients across the UK and Europe. Early expansion into international markets, supported by a European fulfilment network, demonstrates my ability to take calculated risks that unlock growth while maintaining operational efficiency.”

Sarah has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards and has entered Brandily into the Growth Award and Start-up categories.