"It's not luck - it's hard work"

You will never reach your true potential living life in comfort and routine. You’ve got to take some risks - great things never came from comfort zones.

I’ve always loved to work. I started my first job at the age of 13 in the school summer holidays, I loved how it gave me independence and the ability to use my very own money to buy the things I wanted. My parents did an incredible job of teaching me the true value of money - that it doesn’t grow on trees, and that if I wanted nice things in life, I would have to earn them. This is such a valuable lesson and always inspired me to want to be successful in life.

Although I hated school, I always tried my best. I enjoyed learning, the teachers used to refer me to a sponge - I’d soak up as much information as I could. Unfortunately during my teens, I wasn’t able to continue with my school education due to various factors, bullies being the main. I won’t go into the details but my only option at the time was to be ‘home tutored’ in which I had a lovely lady who came to my house to help complete my education. At the age of 15 I went back into school to take my exams and then started college at the age of 16. Due to the fact I had such a horrible time in school, it really did knock my confidence (infact, I had no confidence whatsoever) so the idea of A Levels and university just didn’t appeal to me, I didn't want to prolong such a daunting time in my life. My parents convinced me to have my first ‘photoshoot’ to try to help me with my confidence, and it really did just that. Luckily, I was signed up to my first Model Agency and that’s where my Modelling career begun. For me, the photoshoot was a huge risk BUT I did it, and I’m so glad I did. I was able to start a Beauty Therapy course at college whilst Modelling, and then after the first year was over I decided that Beauty Therapy just wasn’t for me so I decided not to continue.

From the age of 17 I had lots of different jobs, I think most teenagers tend to go through that ‘I’m not sure what I want to do’ stage, and that’s ok! I worked as a fragrance consultant in Boots, then went onto become an account manager for Agent Provocateur in Selfridges at 18 years old. I worked in retail for a few years on and off in between Modelling, and worked my way up to become Business Manager for Christian Dior at the age of 21. After accomplishing what I needed to as a Business Manager, it made me realise I was a natural leader and that I was actually good at it! I mean, I hated retail, but I loved business. I knew then that one day I wanted a business of my own. Well anyway, I knew retail wasn’t for me so I decided to walk out of my job (yes, just like that) and get back into Modelling full time. I did this for a while, won some beauty pageants along the way until I then decided I wanted to travel the world - so I did just that. I packed my bags, secured a job and moved to Abu Dhabi. I had no friends, nothing in the UAE, but it was a fantastic opportunity so I took the plunge and jetted off! These are all risks that I took to become who I am now. Not all of them worked out, but I have absolutely no regrets.

Whilst I was travelling, I realised what was important in life and what meant the most to me. I was only living in Abu Dhabi for 7 months in which I worked as Airline Cabin Crew, I travelled the world and visited places I only thought I could visit in my dreams. I gained so much cultural awareness and met some truly amazing people along the way. I think this is where I actually 'found myself' and knew exactly who I was and what I wanted.

Graduation day for me and my fellow airline crew in Abu Dhabi.

I came back to the UK and I found myself having a real interest in the Aesthetics industry and was given an amazing opportunity to become a Clinic Manager for an Aesthetics company based in Birmingham. I loved my role and then from there I was offered a role as a Patient Coordinator in the cosmetic surgery industry - I loved Aesthetics but took the plunge because, well.. why not?! It offered a great salary, infact whilst I was there some months I earned more than I could have from being a Lawyer or Doctor! Although money doesn't buy happiness, it opens doors and creates opportunities.   

One thing I was lacking was that ‘someone special.’ I’m a very independent person, but I really did hope I would find my other half one day. Luckily, I met Alan in March 2016. On our first date he mentioned he had some aesthetic experience and we half heartedly joked about one day having our own company. How ironic! This is going to sound completely CRINGE (I don’t care) but honestly I knew Alan was ‘the one’ as soon as I saw him. I melted, and the rest is history.   

I’m a very driven person, I set myself targets and goals that I want to accomplish in life and work out how I’m going to get there. I knew I needed someone to accept that and accept that I will never ‘settle’ with ambition - of course my relationship was different, I wanted nothing more than to settle down with the one I love. Alan is literally the male version of me, but better. He is much more intelligent - he is actually the most intelligent and incredible human being I have ever met. I thought my mind worked overtime until I met him, he honestly does not stop. Alan is the hardest working individual, who strives for success and his mindset is truly inspirational. We really do bring the best out in each other and we are so lucky to have one another.

Alan set up his own Aesthetic company, ‘ADS Medical Aesthetics,’ whilst working as a full time Doctor for the NHS, and whilst I was still working as a Patient Coordinator in Cosmetic Surgery. In March 2017, a year after we had met, we decided to set up ‘Number One Aesthetics’ after speaking about it for months. Alan achieved a lot for ADS and honestly he did an outstanding job of setting up on his own, but we felt with my Aesthetic experience we could join together to create something truly remarkable. It was the beginning of something special.

My WhatsApp message to Alan in September 2016 - “What do you think of this name?”

We were putting everything we had into our business, whilst still working full time. We both had such hectic working lives we would sometimes struggle to find time to even have 'date nights' but when we did have time, it just made it extra special. We work hard for the lifestyle we want, for our family, future and knowing this makes it all worth it. We were certainly not born with a silver spoon in our mouth so if we want something in life, we work for it. We have a perfect personal and working relationship and we really do have the best time together.

I enjoyed working at the company where I was full time, but unfortunately it is one of those companies where if you don't necessarily agree with everything your management say - you are very much frowned upon. There are a lot of larger companies out there like this. It is ashame when that happens because half of the time the owners or those higher up the chain really have no clue about what is really happening within their company. They are fed some complete and utter s**t. It seemed as though towards the last few months of my time there, anything I would be doing was 'wrong' even though I had confidence that I was doing a great job. At one time, I had a member of management on the phone telling me I was 'full of shit' - how professional. It was all very corrupt and most probably driven by jealously. Although it was a very stressful time towards the end of my career with them, I have made some lifelong friends, and genuinely loved my role. The stress and the negativity is what ultimately made me take my biggest risk in life - the big leap. So actually, I’m grateful for what I went through. I decided that no matter how negative and twisted some people can be, you’re not in control of them - YOU are actually only in control of YOUR thoughts and YOUR actions. If anyone or anything in life is making you unhappy, simply walk away. Handing in my resignation was the best feeling and such a relief. I have the most wonderful supportive family and husband (fiancé at the time) and I owe everything to them because they were the ones who believed in me. As Lady Gaga would say - "There could be 100 people in a room, and it just takes that 1 to believe in you."
I walked away from my very well paid job, knowing I still had bills to pay, to focus on our business and I really didn't know if it was going to work out or not, it was a huge risk. Thanks to Alan, I had the courage to do so and since leaving, our business has tripled in growth. My only regret is not leaving sooner!

Alan decorated our living room to celebrate me leaving my job to become my own boss for Number One. This made me tear up! He honestly is my backbone.

I am now my own boss. It's what I've always wanted, what I've always dreamed of. I've honestly never worked so hard in all of my life as what I do now for Number One Aesthetics and I love every single minute of it. Don't get me wrong, I still get hate. I think if you want to be successful in life, you have to be prepared and strong enough to deal with the hate you get. I mean, I've had comments such as:
"OMG, you live the life of luxury now!"
"Are you Alan’s PA?"
"You're a lady of leisure!"

At first, it really annoyed me, but now I just laugh it off because people who say these things really have no idea. I can see why some simple minded individuals may think, or even say these things.. Alan is the Doctor after all right? Without taking any credibility away from him (he is truly incredible) it takes so much more than having a degree or title to have a successful business and we are a team. Without one or the other, Number One Aesthetics wouldn't exist. Anyone can do it, YOU can do it, you just have to believe.

Alan is so talented, he has the knowledge, the skill and a technique that sets us apart from any other practitioner. What do I do? Pretty much everything apart from the injecting. Alan is so busy with the NHS that I run our business full time, I love it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want Alan to have more time to focus on his other goals which I know he is so passionate about, I will always support that. This means one day I'm a marketing manager, the next I'm a receptionist. I range from HR to aftercare consultant. I'm the first point of contact and on top of all that I have to ensure the business runs smoothly at all times. I have my work phone with me 24/7 - it comes to bed with me, it comes to the cinema and date nights. When I say I've never worked so hard - I really do mean it. That's what it takes to be a CEO. It's what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and I can guarantee that it's not luck - it's hard work.

Why aesthetics? We both have a genuine passion within the industry and it is so rewarding. I know how it feels to have very little confidence and seeing our clients smile when they look in the mirror is an incredible feeling. As a Doctor, it’s in Alan’s blood to want to help people - that’s why we work so well together. I think this blog is long enough so I won’t go into too much detail about why it works, but just know that it is real, genuine and our passion. The rest is our little secret, so we can’t give too much away, right?!

This month, Alan has become a consultant and what a huge achievement that is (I am SO proud I could burst) and with this he wants to commit some more of his time to Number One Aesthetics amongst working on his new and existing projects. We are both so humbled and proud of what we have achieved so far, although this is really just the beginning and we cannot wait to see what the future brings. We look forward to sharing our journey with you.

Consultant Sweeney! I am THE proudest wife in the universe.

In my opinion, the road to success is never easy. It is full of hurdles, times that really test you and are difficult to say the least.. BUT if you want something that much, you need to just do it. If you fall, try again. Keep trying and you will succeed. Don't just dream, or live in routine or comfort. You only have one life and this life is not a rehearsal.