A MUM of two who was struggling with bills became a millionaire after her simple idea saw her strike gold.
Only a few years ago, Ann Thai was trying to make ends meet in a miserable underpaid job, but she took a leap of faith which has paid off enormously.
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She said: “I had a whole career set out for me. I was working hard for $40k (£31k) a year and I was working 60 hour weeks.
“I thought it would all be worth it. But when I looked around, all my colleagues were miserable.
“I was pregnant with my second child at the time and thought, ‘this cannot be my life’.”
She began her company Amaia Lashes with a simple idea – fake lashes that adhere with magnetic eyeliner, rather than glue.
Ann said: “It was a lot of research, googling, sampling, and a lot of mistakes. We worked with a cosmetic chemist to formulate the product for us.”
The hardworking mum launched her company only three days after giving birth to her second child.
She continued: “We learnt a lot along the way. When we first launched, we only did $1,000 (£782) in sales the first week.
“It was a slow burn, and it wasn’t until we used an omnichannel marketing approach that we saw things taking off.”
The idea was a resounding success, and her business quickly took off – and she’s now set to make £1.5million this year.
Ann said: “You only get one life, and you have to do what makes you happy.”
One teen raked in over £150,000 after beginning a small cosmetics business at the age of 19.
Rose Dyson began her business with only £25, and couldn’t imagine that Pura Cosmetics would be as successful as it’s become.
The teen from Barnsley said: “It hasn’t been without its challenges though. I went into a networking event and someone asked me who’s daughter I was and who I belonged to.
“I took it on the chin and thought I won’t let anything stop me.
“For anyone who wants to set up a business but thinks they’re too young, I’d say start as early as possible.
“It’s never too early to start, being young you can give it your all.”
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