'All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them' Walt Disney
I worked hard at school, and went to university. I chose the wrong subject, and ended up doing a degree for 3 years that made me feel restricted and didn't allow me to be creative in anyway. It was hard to stick at my uni course, and I was always dreaming about starting to earn money and having a career. I left university and still didn't really know at such a young age what I wanted to do. We are educated to work hard to get qualifications, and then to go straight into the workplace and work hard for 40 plus years of our lives. My first day in my office job I was just thinking WOW, is this really what people do for all their lives.....spend all day everyday in the office wishing for the weekend, and living for those 5 weeks holiday a year?!! Don't get me wrong, I know some people love what they do, and if that is in an office, that is fine, but it wasn't for me....I knew there and then on that first day, I was going to have my own business.
I started my own business at the age of 23, where I had a cosmetic teeth whitening business, I started this totally from scratch and built up a huge client base all over the UK, working in lots of salons, gyms, hairdressers and visiting peoples homes. When I first began, I thought it was the dream job. No boss, no alarm clock, working on my terms, when I wanted. I felt this way for a good few years. However, then I began to feel like there was still more out there for me, I was lonely travelling in my car all the time, I was frustrated not knowing exactly how many clients I would have each month, even more frustrated when people cancelled on me. I was basically trading my time for money in that traditional business model and there was only so many clients I could see in a day before my income was capped.
So along the way, I would try my hand at a few other things. First of all, I used my creative side to make gift cards and sell them at stalls on the weekends. Which was okay, but too time consuming for me. Then I sold jewelry, and a clothing range to supplement my income, Both of these were partnered with a company, little did I know at the time, that they were both in the industry I became a part of, but nobody ever told me there was anymore too it other than selling the product.
I tried my hand at offering beauty treatments alongside the teeth whitening treatment but it was always trading my time for money. I used to dream up business ideas all the time, and was a HUGE fan of Dragon's Den and The Apprentice.
The last small business I started alongside my teeth whitening business was a cupcake company called Baking Love, which I had with my Mum, We would do all kinds of cupcakes, wedding cakes, hampers, jams and chutneys. My Mum would bake, and I would decorate. This business became really popular really quick, and we really used social media in our favour. I don't think a lot of people realise the massive amount of work that goes into starting a business from scratch, especially a home based business. When I wasn't out teeth whitening, I would be decorating cakes or doing a wedding set up, and when I wasn't doing that, I would be sat on the computer drumming up business on social media for both the businesses. I loved this business but I still knew I was trading time for money....
All along this time, the lady that had trained me in teeth whitening, Catherine had been approaching me about a different kind of business model. I had been approached by lots of companies over the years and I didn't feel passionate about the products. I thought to be succesful in business you needed to create your own product or idea.....how wrong was i?! Catherine finally caught me on a down day and I said YES to what she had to offer.
Fast forward and I am now 31 years old, a partner to Alex, a Mummy to Baby Jenson who is 5 months old, and I have created a HUGE online business, mainly based from home, that has given me the lifestyle and income I always dreamed of. I didn't have a clue when I said yes to what was on offer, I just ran with it. People used to say to me 'Oh your trying to sell something else or starting something new again and roll their eyes' I used to reply 'Yes, I have to try lots of things before I find the thing that is going to make me a millionaire'....now I have found exactly that.
I look forward to sharing with you all about my business, how I have built it and how I balance having a business and a bubba....
Love Emma xx
'If someone offers you an opportunity, and your not sure if you can do it. say YES and learn how to do it later'
Richard Branson
I look forward to sharing with you all about my business, how I have built it and how I balance having a business and a bubba....
Love Emma xx
