Perfume in the potting shed

The shed. What greater emblem of English country life than a prefabricated wooden building at the end of the garden?

Men have long held the monopoly on sheds and their secrets but now a growing number of women are getting in on the act.

I've teamed up with Devon Life for a new series to discover what these women get up to. It's a great excuse to showcase some wonderful small businesses and amazing people. And would you know, so far there’s not a seed packet or garden fork in sight.

The first article is in this month's magazine and features Emma Rhodes, who uses her shed to make her handmade soap. 

Emma hard at work

Divine scents from the shed waft over her garden

 http://devon.greatbritishlife.co.uk/

Secrets of a Spare Room Tycoon revealed

The proportion of micro businesses - sole traders and self-employed people -  across Devon is nearly double the national average.

For many, living here is their career choice. They use their ingenuity and guile to find something useful they can do that also earns them enough money to be able to stay.

They doubtlessly form a crucial part of the economy but they make this area such an interesting and diverse place to be.  Not only am I proud to be one of them, I've built my business around supporting them.

I've teamed up with the wonderful Devon Life to write a regular - and hopefully funny - blog celebrating the joys and pitfalls of being a spare room tycoon. You can see it here: http://devon.greatbritishlife.co.uk/community/blogs/entries/claire-crawley-dishes-the-dirt-on-life-as-a-spare-room-business-tycoon/id/440/