Birmingham, UK – Fashion entrepreneur and former Great British Sewing Bee finalist Lauren Guthrie is stitching success into the very fabric of Birmingham’s business scene. Through her participation in the UK Government’s Help to Grow: Management program, Guthrie is expanding her acclaimed fashion and haberdashery business, proving that leadership education is becoming a critical driver for small business growth in the UK.
A Local Fashion Icon with National Impact
Guthrie, who first captured the public’s attention on BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, has since transformed her creative talent into a thriving retail and educational enterprise, Guthrie & Ghani, based in the Moseley area of Birmingham. The store, known for its curated selection of fabrics, workshops, and sewing supplies, has become a community hub for fashion enthusiasts and DIY makers.
What sets Guthrie apart, however, is her entrepreneurial pivot—a move from being a sole creative voice to a leader focused on business strategy, growth, and scale.
The Leadership Leap: Help to Grow
To enable this next phase of business development, Guthrie enrolled in the Help to Grow: Management Course, a government-backed initiative delivered in partnership with UK universities and accredited business schools. The 12-week program is tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and covers key areas including financial planning, strategic leadership, and digital transformation.
Guthrie credits the program with giving her not only a broader perspective on scaling but also practical tools to implement change. “I always knew I had the passion and the product, but the course gave me the structure, the strategy—and more importantly, the confidence—to grow responsibly,” she shared in an interview.
The Power of Leadership Education in SME Growth
Guthrie’s story reflects a larger trend: as SMEs navigate economic uncertainty, supply chain pressures, and digital disruption, leadership and management skills have become just as vital as innovation and passion. Programs like Help to Grow are designed to address this gap—turning talented founders into effective leaders capable of long-term growth and resilience.
Her journey also highlights the challenges many creative entrepreneurs face: how to transition from working in the business to working on the business. Through the course, she has implemented improvements to internal systems, optimized product planning, and developed partnerships to expand her reach beyond Birmingham.
A Blueprint for Creative Businesses
Guthrie’s trajectory is particularly inspiring for female founders and those in the creative industries, who are often underrepresented in formal business training. Her ability to blend artistic integrity with structured leadership development offers a model for other small businesses across the UK.
With the fashion and textiles industry undergoing seismic shifts in consumer expectations, sustainability standards, and e-commerce trends, Guthrie’s decision to invest in leadership skills puts her at a strategic advantage. Not only is she scaling her business, but she is doing so with the intention to lead ethically, locally, and sustainably.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Lauren Guthrie plans to expand her digital offerings, scale her educational workshops, and potentially open a second location. Her success underscores how targeted support, like the Help to Grow program, can accelerate the ambitions of SMEs—turning creative flair into commercial success stories.
As Guthrie continues to grow her business with purpose, her story adds a valuable thread to the broader tapestry of UK enterprise—where creativity meets capability, and leadership is sewn into every stitch of success.
