SG: Although my background seems quite diverse, I think it has all come together to allow me to form Sarah Urban. The passion for beautiful things, the love of cooking and entertaining, and above all, the enjoyment of bringing people together and making them feel good and special. 

Whether it’s a dinner at a beautiful table to enjoy each other’s company, a gift to make them feel special, or a pair of earrings and great bag that someone feels good in – the one consistent thing is they all make people smile, and for me there is nothing better.

SG: Well, the main inspiration was the fairly average gifts my dad gave my mother – I am talking a dishwasher, men’s hair grooming kit and a vacuum – so not ideal, but he did make it all up with a car one year.

I also found many gifts all seemed to be the same, I wanted to create gift boxes that offered fun, diverse options, that weren’t just some tea and chocolate (mind you we so have those too!)

SG: I didn’t want our gift boxes to be just another box with stuff in it, I wanted the packaging to be thoughtful, with matching cards to write the notes, for the tissue to be special and for the bands around the boxes to be pretty – all of which was achieved by our designer Ellen, one talented artist!

We wanted to create an experience from the moment a gift box is received, with the difference in the thoughtful details of each element. We also have a card for each gift box that tells the customer about each product, we can add hand written notes and offer same day delivery.

SG: I didn’t want our gift boxes to be just another box with stuff in it, I wanted the packaging to be thoughtful, with matching cards to write the notes, for the tissue to be special and for the bands around the boxes to be pretty – all of which was achieved by our designer Ellen, one talented artist!

We wanted to create an experience from the moment a gift box is received, with the difference in the thoughtful details of each element. We also have a card for each gift box that tells the customer about each product, we can add hand written notes and offer same day delivery.

SG: I get up early, which is easy as the cat is my 5:30/6AM alarm. Breakfast, tea and paperwork from 6 until 9 most days. Then I often hit the yoga studio and get to the office more around 10.30, which gives my girls time to get things done before I disrupt them with more ideas. Always more ideas! Orders get packed, stock ordered, and customers are served in store.

There are usually daily brain storms about how to navigate Meta and Google advertising, and we often have lunch together which is nice. The afternoon is more of the same and now a lot of my focus is all about how we get the brand out there more – working on the brand, not so much in it. Thinking about how we can collaborate with brands, and I spend time each day looking for my ultimate flagship store, where it will finally come together in one and the dream will be realised.

SG: To be honest we need to work more on our PR and marketing. I wanted to get the brand vision and the website to a certain point before reaching out, it’s a tough market and we wanted to be prepared so we could cut through.

In the meantime, we have two pop-up stores in South Melbourne which are getting us immense attention.Our first step towards PR has been Flaunter which is a great In, having a trusted place the media can find us and we can approach them. When I did Sarah Vintage years ago it was easy, there wasn’t the competition, you knew all the mag editors and half the time they came to you. Now it’s so different, especially with TikTok, Instagram, influencers etc – it is a whole new world for me.

SG: My team have been the most incredible people to work with, we all get along, and from the start they have GOT what I am trying to achieve. We all brainstorm well together, and they have been instrumental in making it happen.

SG: I naturally love people and love networking and try to hire staff (especially in our retail spaces) that are the same, so the customer has a positive experience. Without customers you don’t have a brand, so we want to make them feel special, to fulfil their needs and give that little bit extra, and online we try to get the orders to the customer as quickly as possible. And like everyone we sometimes get things wrong, but that’s when I have made longstanding customers because we own up and we fix it- and fix it fast!

SG: The big plan is a new store with a kitchen so we can add the cooking classes to finally pull it all together. It would be an interactive experience where you meet people, learn how to cook dinner so you can get family and friends together, get inspiration for your home and entertaining, and pick up a gift for a loved one!

SG: Never give up on your Dream!

To discover more about Sarah Urban products visit the website. And for brands looking to make that first move into the world of public relations learn more about the Flaunter platform.