Reinvention: Azra's Story
I used to be a PR Consultant, working for a well-known Consultancy in the heart of Mayfair. When I got the job, I thought I'd landed my dream job, as well as overcoming the hurdle of moving from the public sector into the private.
However, during the time I was there, I sometimes felt that something was lacking in my career. I also found all the office politics tedious and often found myself thinking I'd be better off working for myself, although I wasn't sure doing what.
In October 2002, I was made redundant along with 8 others. After the intial shock, I felt quite excited about the possibilities open to me. I initially thought about going to work oversees and went out to South Africa for a series of interviews. However, by the end of my trip, I knew that this would not be the right decision for me.
Back in the UK, I started looking at the options available to me. I went through a period of testing different options but nothing seemed quite right. Just when I thought I'd landed a job with another PR Consultancy, they finally turned round and said that they didn't have the budget for my position, although we'd been engaged in a 2-month selection process.
A Big Idea
And then from nowhere, I had the idea to set up my own decorating and interior design business. My decorating experience was limited to doing up my own flat but i'd loved doing it and got a real sense of satisfaction creating a place that I love coming home to.
Although a complete change into an area I had little experience in, it felt right. It's also still unusual to find female decorators and tilers!
The plan was to start decorating and tiling, whilst doing an interior design course. I also had a chance encounter with a decorator who'd worked on some well-known people's homes. We talked about me training with him and then working together when I launched my business.
At the end of February 2003, I attended Fiona's workshop on "Get Going In Your Life". I'd had the idea for the business a few weeks earlier but hadn't done much about it. It was so exciting but quite daunting too. However, I wrote up some goals at the workshop and set about achieving them.
Ready to Go
By the end of March, I'd realised that if I was going to really do this, I just had to go for it and dive straight in. I felt elated at finding something I was really passionate about but would wake in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, petrified about how I was going to earn enough to pay the mortgage and survive.
I emailed friends and colleagues to tell them about my future plans and this led to my first client. I went from an office job to being a decorator and tiler, all the time learning about the trades and about setting up a business. The training I was meant to get never happened but I decided to just get on with things and learn as I went along.
I'd originally set the launch date for the business as October 2004. By that time, I planned to have a strong decorating portfolio and an interior design qualification. However, I found that I had little time to do the home-study course and questioned whether I wanted to be a designer as I'm so hands-on.
I went through a couple of months of confusion, not sure what to do. But as a result of this, I went back to the original business concept and adapted it, based on a year's worth of decorating experience and finding out about client needs and wants.
Five Step Concept
I've now developed a concept with five steps. They are:-
- Decluttering
- Devising a plan to make the most of the space in your home/room, takes into consideration colour schemes, furniture layout and storage solutions
- Preparation for decorating
- Decorating
- The finish - changing fixtures and fitting to complete the overall look
The aim is to create a beautiful welcoming home, a place that you love coming back to, your own personal sanctuary. The tactical line for the business is "exploring space" and the five steps help you achieve your beautiful home.
I'll still do the interior design course but feel I can launch my business without it, focusing on the five steps. So, launch date is still October
2004 and I've got an exciting yet hectic few months ahead of me, in the run-up to the launch.
If anyone would like their home done up or would like to know more about any of the steps, please feel free to contact me:I work mainly in the London area although I have done jobs in Kent and Sussex.
Thanks
Azra
