The Great British Entrepreneur Awards has been celebrating the stories of exceptional entrepreneurs for over a decade.
The accolades don’t always go to the biggest businesses. We pride ourselves on celebrating incredible stories of passion, tenacity, courage, innovation and disruption from entrepreneurs running businesses of all sizes and at all stages.
Start Application!Clare Harris, founder of Talking Tables, has always had a knack for bringing people together around the table. From an early age, Clare found joy in crafting elaborate tablescapes for family gatherings in her childhood home in Scotland. While studying at university, she would organize dinner parties for friends to mark special occasions. Clare noticed how her creative touches sparked lively conversation and brought people together, realizing that the simple act of gathering around the table was about fostering shared experiences and laughter.
After a career in the corporate world, Clare followed her passion and launched Talking Tables in 1999. Talking Tables has become the go-to brand for sustainable and design-led products that add fun and style to every gathering. From eco cups to cake toppers, if it helps customers “host it and love it,” Talking Tables conceives it, designs it, and manufactures it. Their collections are available at leading retailers like John Lewis, Selfridges, and Barnes & Noble, as well as independent stores and their own website.
This year, Clare and the Talking Tables team won a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and were named a certified B Corporation, the only one in their sector. They were also voted a Great Place to Work by their team. These achievements provide a benchmark for the company to build on as they work to bring people together through their products and community outreach.
Talking Tables is committed to providing opportunities for people to gather who might not ordinarily be able to do so. They work with local community groups to support their events and partner with the charity Re-engage to organize tea parties for elderly and socially isolated individuals. As a B Corp, Talking Tables aims to do business better through sustainable choices like reducing single-use plastics and sourcing materials closer to home.
Clare Harris and Talking Tables are finalists for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023. Dubbed “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship,” the awards will be held in London’s Grosvenor House on November 20th.
