This morning I was greeted with a lovely surprise when Twitter told me that Sex Siopa had made it to the Finals of the Blacknight SME Awards in all 3 of my categories (Under 30's business, Online Business, and Startup)! If you've been following my Instagram lately, you'll know there was only one way I could possibly celebrate and that's through the medium of embroidery.

The SME Awards ceremony is being held down in Cork on the 25th and I cannot wait! It's been over a decade since I've visited, so myself and Cork have a lot of catching up to do. I would love to make a long weekend of it and team up with another small business for an event, so if you're a fellow Finalist or a Cork small business and you'd like to team up for something fun, give me a shout at hello@sexsiopa.ie. Part of what I love so much about being an SME is the freedom and flexibility to do things like that. I love making friends and partnering with other businesses. Having grown up in the U.S., I can say that sense of community amongst small businesses in Ireland is so lovely and unique. I wish all my fellow Finalists the best of luck and hopefully I'll see you all at the end of the month!