How I Built A Business During Nap Time
And never handed in my return-to-work form
Before mat leave, I was earning $22.50 an hour in retail. It wasn't a career. It was just a job.
But once I had my daughter, the thought of going back made me sick.
Handing her to daycare at 6 months old. Missing her first steps. Her first words. All so I could stand behind a register for someone else's business.
I knew I needed a way out. I just didn't know what it was.
Then one day, I paid $160 for lash extensions.
My lash tech mentioned she only had 3 clients that day - her "slow day."
Quick math: $160 x 3 = $480 in 3 hours.
I made $180 in an 8-hour shift.
That was my lightbulb moment. This was my way out.
I enrolled in a lash course while still on mat leave. Studied during nap times. Practiced on friends while my baby slept in the next room.
Took my first paying clients from my spare room.
Within 3 months, I'd already doubled my old retail income - working just 2 to 3 hours a day.
I didn't hand in a return-to-work form. I handed in my resignation.
Today I charge $130 per hour. I work when my daughter's at school. I'm there for pickup every single day.
No asking permission. No mum guilt. No missed moments.
And I've helped 2,568 Aussie mums do exactly the same.
Here's what I learned: You don't need experience. You don't need to be creative. You don't even need confidence.
You just need the right system and someone to show you the steps.
That's why I created ISLASH - so you can skip my mistakes. Get proper equipment from day one. Learn during nap times. Have paying clients before your mat leave ends.
Your mat leave is a window. Use it to build something that means you never have to go back.
