Sara Roberts is a serial entrepreneur whose journey reflects resilience, grit, and the power of turning life’s challenges into purposeful ventures. From starting her first business in East Africa to building health-focused innovations and now guiding founders at the critical scaling stage, Sara’s story is one of determination and impact. Humans of Fuzia is proud to feature her, as her experiences of overcoming setbacks and creating ethical, impact-driven businesses will inspire our community of over 5 million members who believe in supporting women through both He for She and She for She.
Q: Sara, could you share a little about your journey into entrepreneurship?
I’ve been an entrepreneur for about 25 years, though I don’t often use that label for myself. My journey really started when I left school at 13 after being severely bullied. With no qualifications, I had to find other ways to succeed, and that experience gave me resilience and determination. My first venture was in Nairobi, Kenya, where I built a brand and innovation agency. Since then, I’ve gone on to create three more businesses, each very different, but all shaped by the lessons of adapting, listening, and persevering.
Q: You’ve worked across such different industries. What lessons did you carry from each?
Every business taught me something new. In Kenya, I learned the importance of culture—understanding people and respecting differences is vital. In the UK, during the 2008 recession, I learned how to adapt business models to survive tough times. My third venture in health tech came from a very personal place—seeing my father in palliative care and realizing how unhealthy environments can be, even in hospitals. That business taught me about building product-based companies, managing investment rounds, and handling the complexity of larger operations. Now, with Well-Purposed, I focus on helping founders at the Series A stage scale their businesses responsibly and sustainably.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a founder?
Challenges vary with every venture. In East Africa, it was navigating a completely different business environment. In health tech, it was working with multiple stakeholders, investors, and balancing the needs of very different clients—from startups to public sector organizations. But across all ventures, I’d say the biggest challenge is staying resilient through setbacks, while continuing to adapt and innovate.
Q: Many entrepreneurs struggle with finding clients. How do you approach that?
For me, content has always been powerful. Not content that’s self-promotional, but content that reflects the real challenges clients face. When people see themselves in your story, they know you understand them. Beyond that, I believe in building genuine relationships—meeting clients, spending time with them, and creating equal value partnerships. If you do that well, they not only stay with you but also recommend you to others.
Q: You’ve just launched your latest venture, Well-Purposed. What excites you most about this stage?
It’s brand new—just a week old, in fact! Right now, it’s just me, but the vision is to build a team of ex-founders who understand firsthand what it’s like to take a company from zero to scale. We’re here to support founders at the Series A and beyond, especially those under pressure after raising investment. It’s about walking alongside them, helping them navigate growth, and ensuring they do so with purpose and resilience.
“As a founder, you’ll always face challenges. What matters is staying adaptable, building real connections, and never forgetting why you started in the first place.” – Sara Roberts
Connect with Sara Roberts: You can connect with Sara at justsararoberts.com
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