AWARD winning businesswoman, Sarah Siddons, is celebrating 15 years as Principal of her financial planning practice in Ilkley.

Sarah set up her own business in 2008 with no prior experience and no clients by requalifying and embarking on a new challenge to be her own boss. This came at huge financial and personal risk as she left secure salaried employment in the midst of the instability of a global financial crisis.

Thankfully, the risk paid off and 15 years later Siddons & Co Financial Planning is a thriving business with a loyal client base which has demonstrated an impressive 70% growth since 2018.

Sarah herself has been classified as a Top Rated Advisor for the past two years on the VouchedFor platform (an independent service for people to find and compare professional services) as a direct result of positive client feedback.

The practice is located on Skipton Road, but when Sarah first started her business, she was working from her Ilkley home. Since 2008, she has had two home office moves and two major office moves as well as a major rebrand as a result of expansion.

For the past five years, Sarah has specifically focused on ensuring that women are armed with the right knowledge and necessary facts about their finances and financial future and empowering them financially.

Ilkley Gazette: Sarah Siddons in 2008Sarah Siddons in 2008 (Image: submitted)

As Sarah says: “I can’t believe it’s been 15 years! It feels like only yesterday since I took that leap of faith in 2008 but I don’t regret it for a second. In fact, I hope that I can serve as a good example and an inspiration to women who are thinking of starting out on the journey from employment, to self-employment and successful business ownership.

“My greatest achievement has been attaining Chartered Financial Planner status in 2019 from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) after 10 years of continuous professional development. This is equivalent to a Batchelor’s Degree and represents the culmination of many years of self-study whilst juggling running the Practice and bringing up my children who are now 15 and 11.

”I love doing what I do, I love working with my clients, helping them to work out their goals in life and I’m proud of being able to help women in particular, especially if they are navigating the divorce process. And I’m immensely proud of my client retention rate.”

In terms of the future, Sarah is not resting on her laurels and has big plans for the next five years.

“I’m really looking forward to the next phase of my business life. There will be big changes which I’m really excited about, but in the meantime I’m enjoying celebrating the past 15 years working in the lovely town of Ilkley.”