Petra Barran

Age at time of shift

29

Gender

Female

Education level

Graduate

Universities attended

University of Manchester

Shifted from

Chief Stewardess on luxury yachts

Location

?

Salary

£30,000-£40,000

Years in old career

4

Shifted to

Owner of Choc Star

Location

?

Salary

£0-£20,000

Years in new career

1

Year of shift

unknown

What was your role in your old job?

Looking after the stinking rich onboard their 'superyachts' and catering to their every need. Maintaining, to dizzying perfection, the interior of the boat, ordering, sommelier etc.

What is/are your new role(s)?

I own a mobile chocolate bar called Choc Star - going round selling delicious chocolatey yummies. My first business!

Why did you change?

Needed something to get my teeth stuck into and a vent for my creativity.

Are you happy with the change?

Yes - I've learnt more in the last year (from all the ups and downs) than I had in years and years. Priceless wisdom and knowledge and a new grasp of life have all come my way.

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

I sometimes miss the lack of ultimate responsibility - of being able to switch off at the end of the day. I miss being in hot countries all the time and all the disposable income - but not really. I don't miss that feeling of longing to find something that would challenge me. Endless hours of questioning 'where am I going?what am I doing with my life?' etc. It never enters my head anymore. I feel that I have much more of a purpose now.

How did you go about making the change?

I bit the bullet. I knew very definitely that I didn't want to work on boats anymore and that I was ready to return to England. I tried employment for a couple of months in London but loathed it. An idea arrived in my head one day and wouldn't let me go - I decided it was high time I ran with one of my ideas and my gut insisted! There wasn't much careful planning, only the powerful and exhilerating conviction that this was absolutely something I had to do. An impulse buy on eBay later and suddenly I had an ice cream van on my hands - then came the scary bit: executing the idea.

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Nothing - it couldn't have been any other way. It was a life-defining moment and I seized it. After the change and the excitement, the reality of setting something up all by yourself and entering an often really uncomfortable zone is mind-bendingly terrifying and tests your commitment and balls to the limit. If you can get beyond that bit then the sense of satisfaction and pride is incredible.

What help did you get?

Lots of help from my local business centre. Lots of moral support from family and friends.

What have you learnt in the process?

A million things about myself, about other people, about business in general. About this country, about London about courage and fear. About true despondance and dark loneliness and about overwhelming pride and real personal satisfaction. It has given me a completely new slant on both myself and on life. And that the imagination is a potent force which can take you anywhere you want - all you need is a bit of spark and off you go! This world is crying out for people to just get right on in there and will welcome you with open arms if you're prepared to take that first leap of faith.

What do you wish you'd done differently?

Maybe spent a bit longer settling into my new life in London before charging straight into starting up a business. But, hey - I was 29 and sure as hell didn't fancy hitting 30 without a big project to carry with me.

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

Be bold and the mighty forces will come to you! What have we really got to be afraid of when it comes down to it? There are so many people out there who would love to make a big change, but they're terrified. But the wrong decision is better than no decision at all and a life spent asking 'I wonder what would have happened if....' is too depressing to contemplate. As a wise person once said to me: "Live your movie!"