Jan 21, 2026
Find me, Granger Forson, at www.bizsmart-gloucestershire.co.uk or on LinkedIn.
Sarah O’Neill’s journey began with a simple, heartfelt need: to feel part of a community again. What started as a personal response to the isolation of lockdowns grew into Cotswold Collective, a thriving rewards-based membership platform dedicated to supporting local businesses and bringing people together. Her background in marketing and events became the spark that helped transform a difficult season of life into something meaningful for thousands of others.
In our conversation, Sarah shares the early days of the Collective, from persuading the first 40–50 local brands to take a chance on an unproven idea, through to today’s network of more than 450 businesses and a rapidly growing membership. Her energy is infectious, and her belief in conscious shopping, shared experiences, and celebrating the stories behind local businesses shines through every step of her journey.
We also explore how the Collective has evolved into a sophisticated digital product, recently launching an app that already has hundreds of downloads. Sarah explains how she designed the offers to be completely bespoke, ensuring that brands feel valued while consumers enjoy something genuinely special each time they use their membership.
What really stands out is Sarah’s deep commitment to purposeful connection. Whether through events, collaborations, or simply encouraging people to rediscover the high street,
Cotswold Collective is about more than rewards. It’s about belonging, supporting independents, and creating those magical moments when people meet, collaborate, and flourish together.
Finally, Sarah opens up about the realities of building the business while raising two young children, the power of saying yes, and what it means to grow something with heart. This episode is packed with inspiration for founders, community-builders, and anyone who believes small actions can create big impact.
To ensure you don’t miss any inspirational future episodes do subscribe to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.
So, let’s now dive into the inspiring journey of community, connection and conscious shopping with Sarah.
Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.
If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:
https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin
Book a call with Granger - 30 minutes value add
conversation for Business owners with Staff.
https://api.goexela.com/widget/bookings/catchupgrangerugx7zl
You can get in touch with Kevin & Granger here:
Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!
Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.
More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/
Sarah can be found here:
https://cotswoldcollective.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjayneoneill/
https://www.instagram.com/cotswold.collective/
Resources:
Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone by J K Rowling - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/harry-potter-and-the-philosopher-s-stane-harry-potter-and-the-philosopher-s-stone-in-scots-j-k-rowling/3277111?ean=9781785301544&next=t
Diary of a CEO podcast - https://stevenbartlett.com/doac/
Cotswold Collective podcast - https://rephonic.com/podcasts/the-cotswold-collective-podcast
Cotswold Collective app - https://cotswoldcollective.co/