I was a school drop-out hairstylist but I turned my hobby into a huge business worth £8 million
A WOMAN who was a school drop-out, has revealed how she transformed her hobby into a business worth £8 million.
Tara Electra, never felt as though she was smart growing up, and dropped out of secondary school without knowing what she wanted to do.
She started working as a hair-stylist, as her dad owned a salon, but had no passion for the job.
“I drove 45 minutes to work every day and felt so soul sucked and drained”, she told Lori Harder, on her podcast Earn Your Happy.
When she was younger, she was obsessed with social media sites like Facebook and MySpace and one day thought “If I’m on here so much, I might as well make money from it.”
Then, she met a man who worked with influencers and begged him to be her assistant.
She dropped all of her hair clients and quit her job, before moving to Hollywood.
Despite having no experience, she was thrown in at the deep-end, and had to research online how to help influencers monetize their content.
When she had become successful in her job, and had made her boss a lot of money, she decided to quit, and start her own business.
Tara’s business Unruly Agency, helps influencers to monetise their social media content.
For example, she liaises with music festivals to get influencers paid for attending the events and filming content about them.
Her company is now worth £8 million and partners with huge companies, such as Cîroc vodka, and Lounge underwear.
Tara said she has hired people who were previously working in Starbucks to help with her business, who are now making more money that their parents.
She said: “I don’t care about what they did previously, or if they wen to college.
“I care about how you show up.”
She added that through her work, she has made some influencers into millionaires.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
“It’s been really and cool and rewarding”, she said.
Tara revealed that in the future, she hopes to make a film, showcasing her belief in how manifestation has helped her to get to where she is today.
She hopes to inspire and impact people to “change their lives.”
The business owner added that she would also like to create a movement that aims to break down age as a label.
She said: “Why does it matter how old you are?
“It’s only telling yourself that you should be married and have kids by now, or that you shouldn’t be as fit and healthy as you are because of your age.
“It’s just a constant reminder of the limiting beliefs that society has put on us.”
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