“When the recession hit the industry hard, I was the first to be made redundant. So that career and income disappeared instantly as I only got paid when I worked!”
“Although I only work my business part-time, I do work hard and am very focussed. I have now helped two other team members become Managers and they in turn have developed Managers themselves, my aim is constantly to help other people make massive changes to their lives as I have been able to do.”
I used to work as a freelance marketing and PR consultant for new property developments. The job was well paid and I chose my hours. But when the recession hit the industry hard, I was the first to be made redundant. So that career and income disappeared instantly as I only got paid when I worked.
My husband and I sat down and realised we definitely needed two incomes to fund our lifestyle. He is a trout farmer, but farming is not what it used to be. To achieve the income I had been getting I would have had to commute to the city to get a good salary and I wanted to be at home and in control of my time. So we decided to diversify my husband’s fish farm and create a smokehouse.
The reality of having an extra business was far from our expectations as it took over all our time and started to control us. We found that our work life balance had gone. We were all ships passing in the night. I was trying to be a mum to two teenagers, running a demanding new business and home. I just felt I wasn’t fulfilling either role well – plus we were not making the money we hoped for and our debts began to mount.
When my good friend Kim Penney introduced me to Forever just over three years ago I saw a way of developing a risk-free, inexpensive business without deserting the smokery. It ticked all the boxes for me as it meant working from home, part-time, flexibly with great earning potential. For the first year and a half I ran it part-time around everything else, so time was a huge challenge but I could see results when I put concerted effort in and I believed in the potential.
Ten months later and after a particularly difficult period with the smokery, I decided to put my foot down with my Forever business and increase to 20-25 hours per week, and within just 6 months I had made Manager position and was equalling the wage that the farm was giving me – allowing us to pay someone else to do my work.
Although I only work my business part-time, I do work hard and am very focussed. I have now helped two other team members become Managers and they in turn have developed Managers themselves. My aim is constantly to help other people make massive changes to their lives as I have been able to do.
I have reached Senior Manager level and qualified for the European Rally, earned incentive, Eagle Managers retreat and chairman’s bonus, our global profit share scheme. Forever has given us three five star holidays to Budapest, Hawaii and Sardinia plus a car all paid for by the company.
But the most amazing thing is seeing my income go from zero (and having a very sceptical husband who kept wanting me to get a proper job) to £4,000 per month in less than three years. I broke even with my business in the first month whilst we were still paying off our debts for our traditional business.
We are now in the process of selling our fish farm, clearing all our debts and having a fresh start. Forever has given us the confidence to do this and provide financial security, so we can change our life completely.
This business is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would always say to people to grasp it with both hands and run with it. I’m so grateful to all the people in Forever who have helped me achieve success. The levels of support I have received and the friendships I’ve developed are humbling.
What next…
