My big leap : I went from a miserable existence as a management consultant in the City to setting up my own styling company Tramp2Vamp.
What have I achieved since Making The Big Leap: I was auditioned by Channel 4 and now present my own prime-time TV series 10 Years Younger. I have written two best-selling books, I’ve just been commissioned by Channel 4 for a fourth series, I’m about to get married to a man adore and life couldn’t get any better!
My tops tips for making the big leap: Get a great team around you: People think you need contacts to start a business or be successful – it’s that ‘who you know, not what you know’ line. That’s rubbish. I didn’t know a single soul in the fashion industry. It’s not contacts you need, it’s your support team – your coach, your friends, those people who believe in your 110 per cent. They are the ones that will tell you to keep the faith, in your darkest hour, and who’ll push you to keep going when you doubt yourself. Think big when you write your vision. You don’t have to know how you’re going to get there. I always knew I wanted my own Channel 4 series and I wrote that in my vision but I had no idea how that was going to happen. I absolutely no contacts in television. I was just a nobody in a new business, but in the end, the TV production company came to me. So when you write your vision, be bold. Don’t worry about the ‘how’, just focus on what you really want to create for yourself. Stop procrastinating! I think it’s a common mistake to make when you start your own business – you procrastinate designing logos, letterheads and websites before getting your first client. You spend ages concentrating on the details rather than on the brass tacks. If you don’t have any clients, you don’t have a business. That first client will always be terrifying, but whatever you have to do to get through the fear – just do it!
My scariest moment and how I overcame it: Everything takes longer than you think it will. Sometimes I’d feel like giving up because I’d have days and days without one phone call. The something amazing would happen – like an article would be published in the paper and I’d be inundated. But you can’t rely on a new business for all your income. It too me two years before I could start earning a decent wage. My turnover for the first year was £3000! At one point, I rented out my flat and was living in friends’ houses to save money. I also had to get a part-time job. That was my saviour. Most businesses fail because of cash-flow in the early days so make sure you have some other sources of income.
The highlight of the journey so far: Probably my first client. I nearly died of nerves – but I did it. The results were fantastic. My client loved it and felt completely transformed. A week later she flew off on holiday and met the love of her life. It really boosted my confidence.
How Big Leap Coaching Company has helped me: Suzy’s Big Leap programme as completely changed my life. She taught me that there is no such thing as compromise, you can HAVE IT ALL…..and now I do!
