Sara Chambers is the Owner and Creative Director of Elly and Nora Creative.
“Elly and Nora Creative is a full-service creative agency. We focus on building and activating brave, bold and brag-worthy products. We primarily work with service-based businesses to help them stand out in a sea of sameness by leveraging the things that make them special.
AZF: Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur? If not, when did you realize it was the right path for you?
SC: As a kid, I remember selling tickets to a variety show I produced in my grandma’s backyard, pulling petals off the rose bushes to make my own potpourri brand, and finding clever ways to sell services– so I think entrepreneurship has always been a part of my identity. I’ve always been willing to step into a leadership role at any given opportunity and in high school theatre I realized that I liked directing better than acting. Having a vision for something big, getting buy-in from others, and finding a way to see it through has been with me my whole life. I can’t think of a better display of that than entrepreneurship.
AZF: What is your “life motto?”
SC: “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” -Oscar Wilde
AZF: How do you feel best supported?
SC: I’m best supported when I’m surrounded by other people who can hold space for the massiveness of my vision and hold me accountable to the things I say I want to do. When you’re the one calling the shots, it’s wildly important to put people in your life that will walk alongside you as you see that dream come to fruition, celebrate the wins and mourn the losses.
AZF: What motivates you to keep going amidst of the challenges that come with being an entrepreneur?
SC: I think that entrepreneurship is personal development disguised as a business and when this work gets challenging, I’m constantly being refined into the highest version of myself. My capacity increases and I’m able to step into the next phase. It never gets easier, but I get better. My focus on the impact I’m creating paired with the vision I have for my family’s future is motivation on the hardest days. There’s always a new challenge, but “quit” doesn’t seem to be in the vernacular.
AZF: Describe your perfect Saturday.
SC: No alarm clock, a hot cup of coffee, a clean house, and getting lost in a good book.
AZF: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a young entrepreneur who is just starting out?
SC: You have to be willing to be bad. There’s no skipping the dark to get to the light and there’s no such thing as an overnight success. I think we all want our dreams to be realized immediately, but success is never linear. You have to put in the work, make mistakes, learn, and refine.
AZF: What excites you most about being an entrepreneur?
SC: I absolutely love having the autonomy of my own time. The freedom and flexibility to arrange my life for how it best suits me are one of the things that makes the work worth it. I also love being able to own my own successes and failures, and make decisions for where I want to take my business and grow as big as I can imagine. There’s no cap or someone limiting my ideas, passion, or capacity.
Follow Sara on Instagram and LinkedIn.
About The Foundress
The Foundress is a creative community of female entrepreneurs established by Coley Arnold and Lindsey Holt, owners of Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market. The women-led networking group currently has over 120 members who receive exclusive access to mentorship from experienced female entrepreneurs and industry leaders; community gatherings that feature expert speakers and the opportunity to connect with like-minded women; as well as monthly Mastermind Groups where members can brainstorm and collaborate together.
Every Friday AZF will spotlight a member of The Foundress and her business in the online series Foundress Fridays. Learn more about The Foundress and join the community at www.foundress.co.
