You may know this already, but I have worked as a freelance makeup artist and hairstylist for most of my adult life. I trained in 2008 as a makeup artist in South Africa where I am from originally. I qualified as a hairdresser in 2010. I have a commercial / campaign and television hair and makeup background, being represented by a top agency in Cape Town shortly after I studied. But my true passion was discovered when I moved to London in 2015 and started my bridal business in 2016. My business went from strength to strength and grew quickly -within two years, I needed a team of artists to accommodate our demand.

I didn’t know anything about how to run a business! I had been very sheltered in South Africa and had an agency that represented me for my commercial work, and therefore did not need to do anything other than arrive and do my practical makeup and hair work.

The world of business can be a minefield and often us creatives don’t care much about the anatomy of running a successful business and focus rather on the practical aspect. Whilst honing your hair and makeup skills is important, it means nothing if you don’t have a running business that supports your great efforts in mastering your craft.

Sure, I have made my mistakes and learnt along the way. I have regretted not following my gut instinct when I should have. But when other makeup and hairstylists small businesses in and around my area were not surviving, mine was continuing to grow – When I was getting booked out way in advance and had to intentionally block ‘ days off’ in my diary -I realised that I’d reached a point where I was running a successful wedding makeup and hair business. Yes, success can mean different things to different people. For me having a profitable business that operates on my terms, with flexible hours, clients finding me, and happy with our services -means success to me.

In 2015 when I moved to London, I knew no one and very little about how to run a business let alone work in the UK or manage a team. I started in a brand new industry that I had very little experience in, but I had a burning passion to make it work and learn as much as I could! I built my business myself , almost by instinct to a point I wasn’t coping on my own. Not only did I need a team of artists but now I needed a team of administrators.