My Business Journey: The Truth, The Lessons, and The Shift

My Work As A MakeUp Artist

When I look back at my business journey, it honestly feels like I’ve lived about ten different lives. Every single chapter felt huge at the time, but what I didn’t know then was that each one was preparing me for what I’m doing now.

I started my first business in my early twenties. I’d trained as a nursery nurse, was working in childcare, and spotted a gap in the market for a hotel babysitting agency. Fully qualified, insured, DBS-checked childcare for guests — simple, safe, and actually needed.

A colleague and I called it The Childcare Network.We were young, clueless, and unbelievably excited.

We even managed to get a meeting with the Marriott in Bristol, and they were genuinely interested. At that age, that alone felt massive. We didn’t move forward in the end — we had no capital, no experience, and probably no idea what we were doing — but it was my first taste of entrepreneurship. And I loved it. I loved the thrill of building something that was mine.

The second business came later, when I was working full-time as a paramedic. My partner at the time and I both loved gardening, so we started The Garden Medics. It was meant to be a little side project, but it took off quickly. We had regular clients, including a property developer, and we ended up making enough for a deposit on our first house.

But working full-time in the NHS while running a business was exhausting, and neither of us wanted to leave our paramedic roles. So we let it go. And again, another lesson.

Later came my handmade jewellery business. I made pieces to order, ran jewellery parties, and actually did really well financially. But as often happens, life changed, my relationship ended, and the business ended too. I’ve learned that sometimes things don’t fail, we simply outgrow them.

Then came two MLM businesses. I’ll be blunt: they were some of the worst decisions I’ve made. They promised freedom and big money, but the reality was stress, pressure, and being out of pocket. Still, I learned a lot, especially about what not to do.

My next venture was becoming a wedding makeup artist. I’ve always loved beauty, makeup, and skincare, and the idea of spending my time with brides and bridal parties felt lovely. I trained with a reputable company, did photoshoots, and I was genuinely good… but I never fully pursued it because it led me to something bigger.

It led me to my aesthetics business: The Skin Confidence Clinic.

This was the one that changed everything.I combined my healthcare background with my love for skin and created a clinic from my spare room that eventually grew into a six-figure business with a loyal client base and a five-star reputation. I trained with the best in the industry. People travelled from different parts of the UK… one even flew from Spain to see me.

I put my heart and soul into that business for almost seven years.

And then, it collapsed.

Covid left financial cracks I couldn’t fix, and to be completely honest, I had fallen out of love with it long before it ended. Losing it was one of the hardest moments of my life. It was heartbreaking, humbling, and incredibly painful. I felt lost. I felt like I’d failed. I had to go back to work, first in a job I absolutely hated. But eventually, I found a job I love that works alongside my business now — which taught me that even while rebuilding, life still has ways of surprising you.

The truth is, the collapse of my clinic broke me open… but in the best possible way.

For a whole year before it collapsed, I’d felt something inside me shifting. I didn’t fully understand it, but I followed the pull. I trained as a life coach, breathwork coach, human design coach, reiki healer, akashic oracle reader, theta healer… all the things that felt aligned, supportive, and deeply healing.

Once I healed from the loss, something new started forming. Something that finally brought everything together, my experience as a paramedic, a perimenopausal woman, a multi-business entrepreneur, a spiritual woman, and someone who has fallen, risen, and started again more times than I can count.

And that’s how Creating The Shift was born.

This business is the first one that feels like all of me is in it. Not just the part of me that works hard or the part of me that wants freedom — but the part of me that has lived, healed, rebuilt, and wants to help others do the same.

Today, my business stands on three pillars:

1. Helping women start their own business

Because I know exactly what it feels like to want more.To crave freedom.To want work that fits around your family instead of taking you away from them.

I’ve started (and ended) enough businesses to know what works and what doesn’t — and I teach women how to start in a way that feels aligned, grounded, and actually possible.

2. Life coaching and deep inner work

My signature modality, The Shift Alchemy, brings together everything I’ve learned: human design, somatic work, intuition, energy healing, and theta work. It’s for women who feel stuck, overwhelmed, unfulfilled, or like they’ve spent years living a life shaped by expectations.

This isn’t surface-level mindset work, it’s deeper than that.It’s about remembering who you are.

3. Community and events

Connection has played such a big role in my healing, and now I run wellbeing evenings, psychic mediumship nights, and social events with my event partner, creating spaces where women can feel seen, supported, and part of something real. Retreats are coming too.

If there’s one thread running through my journey, it’s this:

You can start again.You can change direction.You can let go of what’s no longer right for you.And you can build something that feels aligned at any age, any stage, and after any setback.

I’ve learned when to hold on, when to walk away, and how to rebuild after losing something I thought I couldn’t live without. I’ve run multiple successful businesses, I’ve shut doors, I’ve taken risks, and I’ve taken breaks. I’ve worked as a paramedic for years, navigated perimenopause while transforming my life, and risen from moments that would’ve flattened the version of me I used to be.

Now, I help women step into their own shift, whether that’s starting a business, reclaiming their identity, or aligning their life with who they truly are.

And if you’re reading this feeling that pull…That whisper of “Something needs to change”…

I promise you, you’re not alone.And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

I’m here when you’re ready.

If you would like to find out how you can work with me book a free call or pop me a message.

If you are thinking of starting your own business why not join my facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1901179134134930/

Vicky x