Sunderland businesswoman who launched during lockdown celebrates success of her crafty enterprise Made by Manny

Made by Manny was launched by Samantha Sanderson in May 2020, two months into the first national lockdown.

It focuses on creating household craft items as well as offering resin preservation.

Now, almost two years later, the business, which the 29-year-old runs from her home, has an ever-growing customer base and has been nominated for a national ‘Biz Bubble People’s Choice Award’.

Samantha started Made by Manny by selling a number of household craft items, such as homeware, coasters, keyrings and jewellery before branching into resin preservation, allowing people to keep things like ashes and wedding bouquets.

The young businesswoman, who is from the Grangetown area of Sunderland, previously worked in admin and has been blown away by the success of the business, which originally started out as a lockdown project.

She said: “When I was younger I absolutely loved crafts. I would spend hours in my bedroom making cards and anything else I could think of.

“I was working in a job that just paid the bills but when it came to lockdown I just thought life is too short and decided I wanted to do something I’m passionate about. Ever since then it’s just built up and really started to take off.”

Samantha said she has been heavily inspired by her dad, who became his own boss as the director of a local maintenance company.

The Biz Bubble Awards celebrates local businesses around the UK, giving recognition to some of the nations best independent traders and small businesses.

Nominated in the People’s Choice category, winning the award would be mind blowing for Samantha.

She added: “It would be so amazing to win this award. For someone to say this little company I started during lockdown is worthy of an award would just be fantastic.”

To find out more about what Made for Mannie can offer, visit their website at Madebymannie.com and you can vote for the business in the Biz Bubble Awards here.

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