The start of March sees us kick off our Formula Botanica ‘Women’s Month’ with a focus on women’s careers. We take a look at just how empowering it can be to change your career by taking an online skincare course. There are a host of reasons why we’re focusing in this post on women who have chosen to radically change careers and their focus in life. This week sees International Women’s Day, 8 March, and here in the UK, Formula Botanica’s home country, we’ve British Science Week and National Careers Week in early March too.
We knew from online conversations on our social media that Formula Botanica attracts a student cohort from all walks of life. However, when we asked recently in our Facebook group about the backgrounds of our community and how they plan on using their studies to change their career, we were taken aback by the range of entrepreneurial routes and aspirations.
Change your career by taking an online skincare course:
Formula Botanica now has thousands of students currently studying with us, and an impressive number are changing their careers and launching their beauty brands both during and after their courses at Formula Botanica. We feel honoured to be playing a part in enabling women to change their careers and to start businesses. Often, in the early days these may be side hustles alongside full-time jobs or childcare. Other times, we’ve seen our students take the leap, leave jobs and plunge right into making that change of career.
As Lorraine Dallmeier, Formula Botanica’s Director, said in her interview on receiving the CEW Digital Achiever Award, 2018: the fact that so many of our cohort of learners have found in Formula Botanica’s accredited e-Learning programme the impetus to change their lives and careers is humbling. We are constantly in awe of our growing community of entrepreneurs who have founded their indie beauty brands off the back of our online training.
Change your career and join our community of women beauty entrepreneurs
We spoke to just a few of our many graduates and students about how a change in career into the world of natural, organic beauty gave them a new lease of life and a fresh perspective.
The Merchant Mariner:
Hélène Pelleray – former merchant mariner reports that she started her career at sea at 17 years old. ‘I enjoyed just being at sea: it was such a privilege.’ she said. ‘However, there wasn’t much space or time for expressing my feminine character. You can’t really share the details of your latest facial with a bunch of rough seafarers.’
Hélène’s career was not at all related to skincare and it took her five years to make the leap to changing her career.’ I became a mother five years ago and couldn’t find in the UK the same range of organic products available in France, my home country. I started looking into making it myself in my kitchen. I got caught by the pleasure of formulating and making my own skincare products for me, my son and even my partner!
Hélène is enrolled on Formula Botanica’s International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program.
The Lawyer:
Zaffin O’Sullivan works as a lawyer in TV. ‘I haven’t launched my skincare range yet but I hope to soon.’ Zaffrin told us. Five Dot Botanics is launching in 2019, but Zaffrin still plans to continue working as a lawyer.
‘I feel that I am a late bloomer, on a personal level, as it took me many years to figure out that I don’t need to care so much about what other people think. Now, it’s a delight to create a skincare brand to my values and mission, however I also realised along the way that my skills as a lawyer can be used to help other women succeed, so it’s making me feel good to find a way to bring the two aspects of my life together.’
Zaffrin is taking Formula Botanica’s Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.
The Artist:
Lucy Cardwell from Lucky Cloud Skincare started her career within the arts’ industry. ‘I went to art school in Adelaide, South Australia; after graduating, it was quite difficult to get a job within the industry (as I’m sure you can imagine!) and when I did finally manage to secure a job, it was as a trainee at an Art Museum and I did a variety of administrative roles’
‘What prompted a change of career for me was a stressful new job + an(other) outbreak of dermatitis and an inability to not create in my spare time – I would make, bake, craft and create on the weekend and I happened to follow a very simple lip balm recipe. It didn’t work, but a little spark ignited and I wanted to work out why it didn’t work and how I could make it better.’
‘Fast forward 2+ years of self-study, courses and experimenting and I launched Lucky Cloud Skincare with a small range of body products (while still working full time). Forward one more year and I was made redundant from my office job. So I thought, “if not now, when?” So since 2016, I’ve been working full time as a skincare entrepreneur.’
Lucy is taking Formula Botanica’s Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.
The Nurse:
Hayley Merrick runs Luna Rose Botanicals having qualified as a nurse in 2010 and worked for private companies as an occupational health across various industries (manufacturing, logistics, public service) for the past seven years.
‘I became interested in natural skincare in 2012 when I became sensitive to off the shelf products and wanted to find natural, healthy alternatives. I’ve loved essential oils since I was a teenager, so it was only natural to start making my own aromatherapy skin products.
Nursing for 10 years means that I have a deep knowledge of health and illness, which is invaluable in my holistic therapy and natural skincare business. I quit my job in October 2018 to start my full time holistic therapist and skincare brand business and couldn’t imagine ever doing anything else now!’
Hayley is taking Formula Botanica’s Skincare Expert Program which includes our Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation and Advanced Diploma in Organic Cosmetic Science.
Changing your career is possible at any stage in your life! Why not get started by taking an online formulation course by @formulabotanica? @FiveDotBotanics @luckycloudskincare Click To TweetWhy not follow in these women’s footsteps and change your career with a move into green beauty? If you’d like to find out more about how Formula Botanica can help you on your way to starting the skincare or haircare business of your dreams, try out our free sample class to see what it’s like to study with us.
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Liz is Formula Botanica’s Content Coordinator and joined our team in August 2020. Liz worked as a professional blogger, journalist and site developer for many years and was also part of the Formula Botanica student community. Read more about the Formula Botanica Team.
