Tell us a bit about your current job.

I’m CEO and Founder of Neon Moon, badass underwear for badass women. I created Neon Moon around 6 years ago now.

What and where did you study after school?

I had really bad grades at A-level, and even had to retake a year, so when I finally finished I only had one university of choice which was Kingston University. I felt so honoured that they had given me a chance to go to university - making me the first in my family to do so! I studied Economics because it fascinated me. I gave my absolute all to the three years I was there because I felt I owed it to the university for giving me that opportunity, and graduated with a First and honours - an absolute U-turn from my A-level grades.

How did you get from answer 2 to answer 1?

It was an arduous journey from university to owning a company. During university I really loved studying in the arts campus. Anyone who has studied Economics understands just how dull and ‘black and white’ it is. I needed a bit of creativity, so as a compromise I took my books and revised in Kingston arts campus library. I also set up a fashion tumblr at the time just to have a bit of a creative outlet. So it was no surprise to me that after university I wanted to enter somewhere creative. As a poor university student I loved to enter competitions. I entered one for Vodafone as they were sponsoring London Fashion Week at the time, and I won two tickets to attend it. Not alot of people know this but they run talks at the same time as some shows - so I went to one that had a senior stylist of Elle magazine talking. After it was done I ran up to her and asked for an internship. I followed up the next week via email and got the role. They couldn’t keep me so I then applied for a PR and wholesale agency for luxury lingerie brands - and was told that I got the role because I was the only one who called them up. These internships couldn’t sustain me, so I worked at a deli on weekends too. Then I finally land a job in financial recruitment - and by far was the worst job I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was horrific, the sexism was rife, and I felt like I had lost my sense of self. Finally they fired me and I was so angry because I gave them my all. After that I absolutely refused to go back into the workplace, and used that anger to set up Neon Moon.

How does your formal education feed into your present career (if at all)?

I’ve thought about this question before - whether I regret the years spent in university, and I do and I don’t. I wish that university didn’t require years worth of study, or that I had the capacity to set up a business alongside study. In terms of the syllabus, it 100% works in my favour. Supply, demand, profit, loss, macro, microeconomics, maths - believe it or not but it plays a major factor in everything when running a business. 

What things have you learnt outside of formal education that have been helpful to your career?

I’ve never stopped learning, however it needs to be in moderation. What people don’t realise is that there is a plethora of information out there, and when it comes to self-help it needs to stop at some point. Cognitive behavioural therapy has helped me a lot in terms of dealing with my emotions as a business person and also personally. I never realised it at the time but all of the jobs I’ve had has taught me something that I still use to this day.

What are the really useful skills for someone in your job to possess?

Persistence, stubbornness (the good kind), naivety, hustle, friendliness, good listener, organised, confidence, solution maker. Having these skills have helped me immensely.

What does an average day at work look like for you?

If I was going to boil down my average day, it involves a mix of good news and bad news. You think bad times end after a certain length of time, but if you’re dealing with people there is always something that goes wrong. In the same way, the good times are great - happy customers or anything that’s a win. It involves a lot of solitude as well as speaking to people, but I like to keep the two very separate. Mornings are for me, and afternoons are for everyone else. 

What’s the best thing about your job?

The autonomy to do what I want, when I want. Not having to ask someone for time off for personal reasons is 100% the best thing - it’s freeing. I listen to some of my friends whose bosses won’t let them have time off when something unexpected comes up, otherwise they get a ‘warning’ and it’s actually barbaric. If you never want to be a rat in the rat race, set up your own endeavour.

What’s your least favourite aspect of your job?

The mental strain required to be a boss. I actually had no idea how hard my mental health would be hit by negative comments, bad news, and honestly even my personal life impacting me and my business. That’s why I really commend therapy, as just because I’m the founder doesn’t mean I’m superhuman. I need emotional support too, and working on it is super important.

What (concrete) advice would you give to someone seeking a job like yours? 

If you want to be a boss get ready for major personal sacrifice, risk, and hard work beyond belief. The pay-off is major but to get to that point is pure hell on earth. If you’re willing to ride through the hard times, ignore the naysayers and get on with it, you’ll thank yourself later.