Who Can Help You Start a Business After Facing Barriers?
Sarah Westwood, a Yorkshire Coast artist and the creator of Sprocket the Dog, has joined Yorkshire in Business as a start-up business advisor on the Rise to Thrive programme. She works with people who are out of work, facing challenges and barriers, and considering self-employment for the first time. Her role combines lived business experience with practical, structured guidance on turning a skill or idea into an income.
Who is Sarah Westwood?
Sarah is a Yorkshire Coast artist, illustrator and small business owner based near Scarborough. She studied Surface Pattern Design at the University of Huddersfield and has been creating and selling her distinctive, colourful illustrations since 2005. She's best known as the creator of Sprocket the Dog, a character inspired by her own Weimaraner, which has grown from a single idea into a full range of artwork, cards, homeware, gifts and ceramics. Her work has been featured in Living North, The Yorkshire Post Magazine and Yorkshire Life.
What makes Sarah's background useful to people starting out is that she's done it the hard way first. She built her business by selling at markets and art fairs while holding down a full-time job, before eventually making the leap into self-employment full time. She understands the gap between having a creative idea and turning it into something that pays the bills, because she's lived through every stage of that gap herself.
What is the Rise to Thrive programme?
Rise to Thrive is a Yorkshire in Business programme aimed specifically at people who are out of work and facing barriers to employment, but who want to explore self-employment as a route forward. Sarah works as a start-up advisor and key worker on this programme, supporting people who might not fit the standard "aspiring entrepreneur" mould but have a genuine idea, skill or passion they want to build into a livelihood.
This matters because starting a business when you're already facing financial pressure or personal challenges looks different from starting one with savings behind you. The advice has to be practical, grounded, and realistic about what's achievable at each stage.
What does a start-up business advisor actually help with?
At Yorkshire in Business, advisors don't lead with theory. The starting point is always the same question: what's your 'why'? That's the purpose behind the business that goes beyond simply making money. Established alongside that is a clear picture of who the target market actually is, because a business without a defined customer is a business built on guesswork.
From there, advisors help with:
- Market research: talking directly to potential customers before finalising a business plan, since this step often reshapes the whole approach once real feedback comes in
- Business model development: understanding exactly how the business will make money and what value it delivers through its core offer
- Supplier and commercial terms: getting a working grasp of who you'll buy from, what the terms look like, and how that affects your margins
- Networking: introductions to other business owners and potential collaborators, so you're not building alone
None of this is about impressing an investor with a polished pitch deck. It's about building a plan that actually works for the person running the business day to day.
Why does market research matter so much for a new business?
Because it's the step most new business owners skip, and it's the one that saves the most time and money in the long run. Yorkshire in Business teaches established methods for collecting and analysing customer information before a business plan is locked in. Speaking to real potential customers, rather than assuming what they want, frequently uncovers gaps or opportunities that reshape the entire direction of the business.
Sarah's own journey is a good example of why this matters. Sprocket the Dog didn't become a recognisable Yorkshire brand by accident. It grew because Sarah understood her audience, tested her work at markets and fairs, and paid attention to what people actually responded to before scaling up into homeware and ceramics.
What challenges do today's start-ups face that didn't exist before?
New business owners now have to navigate digital transformation, funding options that are more complex than they used to be, and customer expectations that shift quickly. An advisor's job is to help translate all of that into something manageable: a plan built on the fundamentals of who your customer is, why you're doing this, and how the money side of the business actually works, rather than getting overwhelmed trying to master everything at once.
Common questions about starting a business after facing barriers
Do I need a business idea already worked out before I get support?
No. Rise to Thrive is designed for people at the exploring stage, including those who have a rough idea or a skill they think could become a business but haven't tested it yet. Advisors like Sarah help shape that idea into something workable.
What if I've never run a business or don't have a background in it?
That's exactly who the programme is for. Advisors focus on fundamentals such as identifying your target customer and understanding your 'why', which apply whether you're starting a craft business, a trade, or a service.
How is this different from generic business advice online?
The advice is grounded in direct experience and tailored market research, not generic templates. Sarah, for instance, brings first-hand knowledge of building a creative brand from scratch, alongside Yorkshire in Business's wider methodology developed from over 100 years of combined advisor experience.
Is this only for creative businesses like Sarah's?
No. Sarah's background is in art and illustration, but the Rise to Thrive programme and the wider Yorkshire in Business approach apply to any type of start-up, from trades to services to retail.
Ready to talk to an advisor?
If you're facing barriers to work and have been thinking about self-employment, Sarah and the rest of the team are ready to have that conversation with you, no polished business plan required. Find out more about the Rise to Thrive programme and the full range of support available at Yorkshire in Business, or get in touch directly to arrange a first chat about your idea.