My first business began when I was 7  …

“Masterpiece massages”  I used to take my little silver makeup case, filled with body shop moisturiser and nail polish, and my hand-drawn price list for all the family functions … under the table massaging my aunties’ feet and painting their toenails.

At 19, I had maxed out my career in optics, managing multiple different stores and thriving under the stress of running a big team.

When I  was nearly 20, studying for an advanced diploma in event management and working full-time in optics, I decided to start freelance wedding planning. After a wedding or two, I realised that I loved problem-solving and clipboards more than I loved working with stressed-out brides every day…

When I was 21, I started blogging as a bit of self-expression and connecting in those early parenting days. Before blogging and influencing was a thing, I had collars with brands and thousands of views on my awfully edited blogs… I haven’t blogged in years, and yet the blog still gets thousands of hits every week.

At 22, after dozens of awful spray tans and an ASD toddler that was going through a diagnosis, making working in a normal job hard, … I borrowed $500 from my parents and started a spray tanning business. No website, no business cards and a focus on a fantastic experience, I would set up my tent in my laundry or travel out to people’s homes and spray tan my clients every week for their special events… Bronze addiction grew and grew over the 8 years of running until covid hit and changed the game for the events industry…..

At 24, a friend introduced me to some health products, and I accidentally ended up a distributor for a health company ( network marketing ). While a lot of that experience was incredibly traumatising, it also taught me a lot. I learned how to manage a team of over 200 women, trained people from all over the world, hosted events and spoke on stage in front of hundreds of people… when I left, I took with me a lot of incredible skills,  but I took some time to heal too.

At 27, I started Sexy Selfish, a brand to help mums who want more. I ran courses, mentorships and events to connect, inspire and support women seeking more. When that shifted to a money mindset based focus, my vision for impact grew … podcasts, books, events, and massive growth over the past 5 years that is just getting started …

At 29, my hobby of designing and creating graphics for my brand and my friends suddenly turned into people begging for me to do theirs too. Suddenly I had a design business out of nowhere. I resisted and resisted … it’s just fun, it’s just a hobby, but nope … it was a fully blown business. Tyne Creative Studio was born.

In 2022, we shifted from a sole trader to a Company, SEXY SELFISH PTY LTD, with Tyne Creative + Sexy Selfish included ….

From my little side hustle to a fully blown company, registering for GST, adding team members, and finally paying myself a wage and super … it’s been a big shift. 

Success doesn’t happen overnight, and success often doesn’t happen on the path we first expected ..

If there’s anything I’ve learnt in all these years, you are a lot more capable than you might think.

I LOVE hearing all about other women’s journeys. How did you get started in business?  

X Shona