Bold step to set up on her own brings reward.
Three years ago, Charlotte Powell was working as a bench saddler at E. Jeffries making four or five saddles a week.
She’d worked at the Walsall saddlery manufacturer for nine years before leaving to set up The Saddle Lady.
Now Penkridge, West Midlands based Charlotte (known as Lottie) has been named a finalist in the UK Small Business Awards in the Female Entrepreneur of the Year category.
Lottie hand-makes saddles, bridles, leather goods such as handbags and gifts. She also makes props for the movie business.
“It’s an honour to be recognised alongside such incredible women in business,” she says.
“This nomination reflects not just my own hard work, but the support of my customers, my community, and of course, the horses that inspire what I do.”
Movie work
Lottie is regularly commissioned to create leather props for film production companies, often to exacting standards to match the movie’s time period.
She recently made the saddlery used in Gladiator 2, the blockbuster starring Paul Mescal.
Such projects can take up to six months, during which time Lottie is sworn to secrecy about her part in the production until each movie launches.
The winners of the UK Small Business Awards will be announced in Birmingham on 12 December.
