Poppy & Sasha are 17 year old identical twins and already proven to be talented children’s book illustrators and entrepreneurs.
Empowering young people is an important topic for Poppy and Sasha. They would like to share their journey so far, in the hope of inspiring others.
Both keen illustrators and entrepreneurs, Poppy and Sasha have undertaken many self managed projects whilst also navigating their way through the challenges of school life. At the youthful age of 16, the girls cleverly combined their skills and established the brand called “Little Gold Ted”.
Little Gold Ted is an authentic British children’s book character, created by Poppy during her GCSE exam period. Poppy has meticulous attention to detail and has indeed rather successfully captured the adorable charm of Little Gold Ted, whilst Sasha has imaginatively laid out the immersive world that he lives in. “We now collaborate so effortlessly that we can dip in and out of each others illustrations”.
To date, the girls have been the illustrators of two delightful children’s books for younger children to enjoy, whilst also managing the official Instagram @littlegoldted, where they have been posting captivating content for all of Ted’s followers and friends.
Poppy and Sasha 
A virtual book tour
As part of Little Gold Ted’s launch, Sasha set up a campaign with the ambition of connecting Ted with children across the UK by doing a special Tour. The idea behind it was to get Little Gold Ted to “virtually visit” his mini fan base across the nation.
“We wanted to give little ones something to enjoy and be a part of during the COVID-19 national lockdown and found the tour to be a great way to unite the community” Sasha said.
When the tour was launched in 2021, the girls fulfilled over 400 requests in January alone, for a “virtual visit” from Ted. Each family received a personalised illustration from Little Gold Ted; many families then went on to share their experience through posting on Instagram. This kept Poppy and Sasha busy for months; they didn’t stop until the whole of the UK had been visited. A sturdy effort from the pair.
The girls are fully committed to growing Ted’s brand. Both books are available to order online from the following retailers: Waterstones, Barnes & Noble and Amazon Internationally.
“We have more magical Little Gold Ted books in the pipeline” Poppy said.
Future plans for Ted are to turn his stories into animation for children’s TV. Big ambitions indeed for this formidable duo.
More excitingly still, Little Gold Ted is set to go overseas and feature on an International platform. The girls are thrilled to see their wonderful character take on new steps and are keen to see the future of Little Gold Ted blossom.
Additional creativity from Poppy and Sasha come in the form of Art and Music where they even write their own songs.
Their originals have already featured on BBC Sounds, BBC Upload and BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
At the start of the pandemic, Poppy and Sasha were given the challenge of composing a song for the NHS, in order to boost morale. With no studio access, they utilised whatever equipment was to hand and managed to produce a very credible and emotive song.
To follow their musical journey, visit their Instagram @vanhargenmusic
Slick Sticks™️ online business
Finally, Sasha wanted to share a personal story to inspire readers. When she was 14, she established a business called Slick Sticks™️ after discovering a gap in the music market. Slick Sticks™️ is driven towards providing a practical tool for drummers who suffer from calluses, blisters and harsh vibrations that accompany prolonged drumming. As a keen drummer herself, she set off on a mission to solve the problem. Her first step was to design the product where she took her innovation into production and launched her brand. “I now run my unique drumstick business online. I am grateful for experiencing the mechanics of business and delivering a powerful product that enhances peoples drumming experience”.
The message that the girls have for any young aspiring reader is to have self belief, a little confidence, persistence even when the task ahead seems daunting and of course, perseverance. As Poppy and Sasha started their entrepreneurial journey whilst still at school, they encourage others to take the plunge too.
To follow Poppy and Sasha’s journey, click the links below:
Little Gold Ted Instagram: @littlegoldted
Slick Sticks™️ Instagram: @slickstickscompany
You can buy the books on Amazon.
Sasha website: https://sashasathaportfolio.weebly.com/
You may also enjoy reading https://darlingmagazine.co.uk/women-to-watch/kirsten-and-aiyven-13-and-12-year-old-authors-and-kidpreneurs/
