Jade was interested in a career in beauty. She secured a place on a beauty therapy course and completed level two, but had to pull out of level three due to financial difficulties.
She worked for a while, and then as soon as she could afford to, she went back to college. She successfully completed the rest of the course, despite losing her father within the first three weeks of study.
“It was a really tough time for me,” says Jade. “I was determined to make something of myself but everything seemed to be going against me. As a care leaver, people didn’t expect me to do well but I really wanted to prove them wrong.”
At first Jade couldn’t find work in beauty therapy due to her lack of experience, so became a carer in the community in Launceston. Eventually, she found her dream job as a beauty therapist last year.
Jade says: “I loved my new job and was so glad I was able to support myself by doing what I wanted to do, at last. Finally, it felt like things were going right for me.”
However, Jade was made redundant in January this year and was unsure what to do next. She thought about setting up her own salon, but with no business experience, she didn’t know where to start.
A friend told Jade about The Prince’s Trust, so she applied to join the Enterprise programme. As part of the course, she learnt business basics such as finance and marketing and received a loan to buy equipment. She was also matched with a Prince’s Trust business mentor to provide ongoing support and guidance.
Jade says: “My mentor has been amazing. He works in marketing so has been able to help me promote the business to new clients. It makes a big difference to know he is always on the other end of the phone whenever I need some help.”
Jade now hopes to build up her business and gain new clients in Saltash and the surrounding area. She says: “I feel so much happier now. I’ve always wanted to set up my own business and I’m really grateful to The Prince’s Trust for helping me to make it happen.”
