A Change of Direction
Changing your direction in life, and starting your own business
Most people start their professional career as a young adult in a completely different direction to where they’ll be in 10, 15 or even 20 years later. Led by study routes from college and university, lots of people enter the job market as the first rung of the ladder, and all it takes is an idea or a passion reignited later in life to spur on a change of direction and inspiration to start their own business.
At Let’s Do Business Group, we support anyone that wishes to take the leap and change their trajectory in life, through a range of services such as 1-2-1 business support, free workshops, and advice to help you bring your business idea to life.
Our previous clients who wanted a change of direction:
Bullhead Barber’s
Owner of Eastbourne’s Bullhead Barber’s & Male Grooming, Nikos, had always loved cutting hair, but from a young age decided to take his career in a different direction and pursue teaching. He gained degrees in Teaching and Business Management, and in 2020 took the leap to change direction and finally try his hand at opening his own business doing what he loved. After getting the right qualifications for hairdressing and personal care under his belt, Nikos was ready to get serious about creating his own salon in Eastbourne and started researching how he could make it happen.
“I started dreaming big and decided that I needed a place where I would be able to express my passion, and do what I really love”
Spanish on Sea
Having lived in London for years with careers in education, Lara Alvarez and Al Lois from Spanish on Sea decided to move down to Hastings for a change of pace during the COVID19 pandemic. They created a free Spanish club at the The Common Room in the centre of the town, and after realising the popularity it had, they also saw the potential for a business.
Never having owned a business before, let alone set one up, the pair learnt from scratch how to advertise their new venture, and since opening their doors in the Creative Media Centre, have been steadily growing their list of pupils and adding more classes to their course offering.
“It doesn’t feel like a business or job, we are doing what we love.”
Hair & Amor
Before having her children, Steph of Hair & Amor worked in PR and Marketing in book publishing in London. After going back to work and becoming a self-employed beautician for 8 years, she decided to retrain as a hair stylist just as the COVID19 pandemic hit.
Lockdowns and isolation made Steph realise the importance of a hairdressing and service industry on people’s mental health and wellbeing, and she dreamt of her own business where she could create beautiful looks for clients while also making them feel good inside and out – a tandem effect, a place of total pampering that went well beyond beauty treatments.
Wanting to work on her skills and go beyond what is available in the local market, Steph is investing in extra qualifications and training to help her on her way to becoming a top-quality hair stylist and colourist in St Leonards on Sea. Fast forward to today, Steph runs Hair & Amor from a salon in St Leonards and plans to open her own upmarket and bespoke studio in the not-too-distant future.
Sloe Drinks Co
Prior to setting up Sloe Drinks Co, Marie worked for a charity in Brighton she moved to Hastings. After losing her father to cancer in 2014, she took the plunge on buying her first vintage caravan and fell in love with taking it camping with her young son. Finding that it helped tremendously with the grieving process, Marie dreamed of centring her career around vintage caravans and their charm.
Having had previous experience working in hospitality years before as a student, Marie explored the idea of creating a mobile bar and creating a business from it. She established Sloe Drinks in 2018, and fast forward to today, offers a full bar service with a rustic chic look, decorated with accessories like fairy lights and flowers, as well as an industrial wooden bar to cater to indoor parties and cocktail making classes.
“I love people and serving customers. You get to know people - especially when you’re working weddings - it’s very personal, so that’s really nice. Working on events is really fun, having a laugh and making it fun behind the bar. Learning about new cocktails and getting to know local producers is really nice too.”
Babel’s Coffee House & Wine Bar
Owners of Babel’s, Amy and Ben had long talked about owning their own bar or café - and amidst the flurry of lockdowns in 2020 they decided to work on a business plan to make it happen.
With Amy’s previous experience working as an assistant manager for popular high street restaurants, she wanted to apply her skills to a place of her own. With partner Ben, who was native to Hastings, dreams of a place of their own in the town took shape, and Babel’s was born in the summer of 2021 – quickly becoming popular with locals.
‘It’s long days, but it’s different when it’s ours. The last place I worked I was doing 60,70 hours a week, but it wasn’t mine. I wasn’t getting anything from it, but these long days are worth it.’
Amba Accessories
Amba Accessories is a start up business that sells customisable and fashionable accessories for new mums, and was in part named after Rachel’s own daughter, Amber – and was born from the struggles that Rachel realised after becoming a new mum.
She felt that with a mass of grey and elephant printed changing bags and backpacks on the market, she’d lost her sense of identity and individuality, and didn’t have an outlet for her own personality and preferences when it came to practical accessories. She saw this as a widespread problem, and having had a previous career in marketing, she saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market by creating a business that offered customisable and unique products for new mums, and tackled the problem of their loss of identity and confidence at this new stage in their lives.
With her unique idea in mind, Rachel set about launching her own business, learning as much as she could from workshops and online resources to see if her idea could be a success.
“I attended the Her Biz Women’s Startup Programme, a 4 week course that delved into the fundamentals from financial planning to marketing strategy to business plan research.
I came out filled with confidence and with a host of resources and knowledge to kick start my journey.”
