Being a single mother and working full time, I thought that is was probably too late to start something new and not possible for me to make a career change. I was going day to day, just trying to get by and survive. Then there came a time when I realised I had to do something about it and to do something for myself.
I wanted to study, and decided that I should do it in a field that made my heart beat and bring life to my inner being. That is when I discovered the one thing that truly inspires me – fashion and clothes!
Searching the internet I came upon many providers for fashion courses. I reviewed the information from each and compared them and I kept coming back to the Australian College of Professional Styling as the one I would most like to work with.
Three years went by and I finally got to a point where I had a deposit saved and was able to start on the course. The College also offered a very convenient payment plan for the balance of my course fees also.
When I started the course I was amazed how simple, yet well informed, the information they provided was. The layout was excellent and as I worked my way through the tutorials I grew more inspired each week.
The course offers far more than I ever could have imagined. It covers every little aspect I felt I needed to get started. It offered clear and helpful information on setting up a business and it guided me to take little leaps of faith as I went through the different stages. Gently leading me to approach potential clients it taught me to be driven and confident enough to be self-employed, which was a goal I had always wanted to achieve.
Going through a series of personal trials over the years with my divorce and other challenges, my confidence had been shaken. Undertaking the course and starting my own business has been amazing for my self-belief. And I get to pay it forward. I love to dress people, to make them look and feel beautiful and seeing their own self confidence soar.
For me, there’s no amount of money to surpass the feeling of accomplishment in seeing a person’s self-confidence grow.
Before I had even graduated from the course I started working alongside my daughter who has an established photographic and graphic design business. Together we started a project called “Virtuous Woman”. “Virtuous Woman” aims to inspire women through changing their personal style, photographing the process and giving them a chance to show off their new look and write a few paragraphs of their own story.
We recently worked on a sponsored styled shoot of wedding dresses and evening gowns for designer Braam Pretorius, CJA Haute Couture and jewellery designer Gerhard Moolman. This was shot at the Feathers Nest Boutique Hotel, who also sponsored the shoot.
This was quite challenging for me but very successful and it gave me the hands on experience of working with and styling a group of 5 models.
I have also worked with a number of personal shopping clients and have booked my first paid total makeover challenge.
I would never have achieved any of this without the knowledge from the course and the guidance from my tutor. I even feel well equipped with lots of tips to deal with things that sometimes go wrong.
The course has given me the head-start to make waves in the industry and to do something that I love. Having the opportunity to work alongside my daughter has also been amazing.