{"id":371,"date":"2025-02-08T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T07:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/?p=371"},"modified":"2025-02-08T12:06:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T12:06:33","slug":"how-i-went-from-75k-in-debt-to-7-figure-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/08\/how-i-went-from-75k-in-debt-to-7-figure-ceo\/","title":{"rendered":"How I went from \u00a375k in debt, to 7-figure CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

I used to think successful entrepreneurs<\/a> were a certain type of person – someone with a business degree, a clear plan or deep pockets. And I certainly didn’t fit that profile.<\/p>\n

But if there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that success doesn’t always come from following the rules. Sometimes, it’s about taking a leap, even when it may seem reckless. I took that gamble, and I’m so pleased to say I did.<\/p>\n

Now, I’m known as The Funding Godmother, having built a seven-figure training business and helped secure more than £6million in funding<\/a> for others in the beauty industry.<\/p>\n

But it didn’t start that way. In fact, if we were to rewind three decades, I was 38, a mum of two, working for Avon and £75,000 in debt.<\/p>\n

“I thought, ‘Why not me?’”<\/h2>\n

I grew up in Folkestone. My mum was poorly with MS, and this became too much for my dad, whose mental health suffered. He took his own life when I was just seven.<\/p>\n

My grandparents looked after me and my sister, and they discouraged me from going into the beauty industry. After many jobs, including as a sales leader at Avon, I was desperate to create something of my own. But the thought of starting a business<\/a> felt overwhelming.<\/p>\n

I had enough to think about. There were bills to pay, and I, along with my husband Andy, was already carrying a mountain of debt. Then one day, the owner of my favourite nail salon told me she was selling up and exiting<\/a> for £20,000.<\/p>\n

I knew nothing about starting a beauty salon<\/a>, and £20,000 might as well have been £200,000 with my finances. But something about it stuck with me. I thought, “Why not me?”<\/p>\n

I didn’t let myself overthink it. I applied for a bank loan, got approved and handed over the money. In hindsight, it sounds wild – taking on more debt while already struggling.<\/p>\n

But without friends and family funding<\/a>, I didn’t know where else to turn. And sometimes, the boldest decisions are the ones that change everything.<\/p>\n

“Andy retrained as a body piercer to help out”<\/h2>\n

The early days were chaos. Andy quit his job to join me. He even retrained as a body piercer to bring in extra income, eventually becoming one of the best nail technicians we had. We worked ridiculous hours trying to turn the salon around.<\/p>\n

I didn’t know anything about beauty treatments, but I knew how to meet customer needs<\/a> and make them feel special. We focused on creating a warm, welcoming environment. People didn’t just come for the treatments — they came for banter and a sense of community.<\/p>\n

Despite our best efforts, it wasn’t easy. Debt kept mounting and there were times when I thought we’d never make it. But the struggles forced me to think bigger.<\/p>\n

I discovered government-funded training programmes, which were a game-changer. I realised I could use this money to grow the business<\/a> and train staff. But more than that, I saw an opportunity to empower others.<\/p>\n

This wasn’t just about running salons anymore – it was about helping others in the beauty industry get the skills and funding they needed to succeed. That shift in focus led to something bigger than I ever imagined.<\/p>\n

From five salons, to nationwide training<\/h2>\n

By 2008, we had five salons, but I made the bold decision to pivot away from day-to-day salon management and focus entirely on training. I wanted to give back to an industry that had given me so much.<\/p>\n

My first funding pitch<\/a> to the local council was nerve-wracking. I felt like an imposter – just a mum from Folkestone with no formal business training. But I had a clear vision: to provide high-quality, accessible training for hair, nails and beauty professionals.<\/p>\n

It worked. Over the next decade, I scaled the business, helping thousands of people gain qualifications and access funding. Today, we’re one of the leading training providers in the industry, with a seven-figure turnover<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I also put a debt management programme in place, and paid off ALL my loans. It felt incredible to finally be able to say I was debt free.<\/p>\n

“You don’t need all the answers to get started”<\/h2>\n

If you’d told me back when I was drowning in debt that I’d one day clear it all and build a million-pound business, I wouldn’t have believed you. It wasn’t easy. I had to invest in business coaching, change my mindset, and learn to manage risks.<\/p>\n

But through it all, I never lost sight of my purpose: to empower others. Today, I get to travel the world, spend time with my grandchildren, and work on something I am truly passionate about<\/a>. Whether by funding or training, my mission<\/a> is to help people realise their potential.<\/p>\n

Taking the leap to buy that £20k salon on a whim was terrifying, but it was also the best decision I ever made. If you’re thinking about starting a business but feel like you don’t fit the typical entrepreneur profile, let me tell you this: you don’t need all the answers to get started.<\/p>\n

You just need to believe in yourself, embrace the challenges, and take that first step. You never know where it might lead.<\/p>\n

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\n


\n By Sarah Abel, CEO of TNB Skills Training <\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Abel is an award-winning, seven-figure serial entrepreneur, best-selling author and speaker with an extraordinary against-the-odds story. Sarah, a business strategist specialising in training, and the CEO of TNB Skills Training, a training academy that also secures government funding for other salons.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Sarah Abel <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The post How I went from \u00a375k in debt, to 7-figure CEO<\/a> appeared first on Startups.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I used to think successful entrepreneurs were a certain type of person – someone with a business degree, a clear plan or deep pockets. And I certainly didn’t fit that profile. But if there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that success doesn’t always come from following the rules. Sometimes, it’s about taking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":372,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371\/revisions\/372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timsvideostore.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}