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I'm a bit like a DIY SOS team all rolled into one person. I do carpentry, joinery, painting, decorating, flooring, tiling, soft furnishings; the whole kit and caboodle. Before I got into DIY I was a hairdresser, but I was in a car accident and got whiplash which meant I couldn't work anymore. I was on incapacity benefits for nearly 2 years, but strangely when I got pregnant my back got a lot better. I can bend, I can lift and I haul, I'm quite physically strong, but I can't stand and lean over someone's head for a prolonged period.
What gave you the motivation to start a business?
I was in rather an unpleasant relationship, but once my daughter Charlotte was a year old I found the courage to leave him. I walked out on everything and I ended up homeless and penniless, without a job and with nothing on the horizon. I spent some time in a refuge, and by the time I got re-homed, I had already decided going back to college was my only way out.
How did you choose your course?
I didn't know really what to do; I hadn't been to college since I was a kid. I signed up for an evening class in interior design because I'd always been quite arty. I then went into carpentry and joinery because I wanted to build what I designed.
How did being a student make you feel?
It helped me regain my confidence and really improved my social life. Suddenly I was smiling again and even going out clubbing with 20-year-olds! It helped me get my self-belief back. I just thought I was just a hairdresser who wasn't capable of much, but the guidance, support, praise and encouragement I got from my mentor made me realize I was capable of more than I thought.
What is it like being a woman in predominately a male industry?
People think that the guys in the industry would be chauvinistic, but most of them are so enthusiastic and encouraging about what I am doing because they all know there is a place in the market for women like me. They don't see me as a threat because I only do smaller jobs that I feel comfortable with.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to build up the business to a point where I can start to employ somebody, and give somebody else a chance that wants to start afresh.
What tips or advice would you give to other women who want to follow their dream?
I think the biggest thing is to find your self-belief; belief that you can achieve it if you just get our there and do it.
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