My roots...

My determination to do things my own way has been a part of my life my whole life - and that's no joke! My own birth reflected that when I was born at home, too keen to come Earthside to wait till mum got to a hospital or a midwife got to her. So literally from day 0, I've been stubborn and motivated. 

That stubbornness, determination and motivation is what got me to where I am today, living the life that I do. I think there's a common misconception that the business, starting and succeeding, has come easy to me because I have supportive parents... I absolutely do, they're amazing in every way and support me however they can in any capacity they can, but I built this business up from nothing. 

And my mum and dad built their lives up from nothing too. We don't "come from money" so to speak, we've worked hard to make it ourselves. 

I was born in a high-rise council flat to parents who worked every hour God sent, from there we moved to another council flat, before moving into a council house on the cusp of Maggie Thatcher bringing in the right to buy. They ended up buying this property and after securing our family home my dad moved over to Saudi to work, to do what he needed to do to make owning a home sustainable, affordable, and provide the best he could for our future. 

And he did just that! On his return we moved from the council property into a house in Leigh, and over the years the properties gradually got more expensive and a little bigger as mum and dad worked as hard as they could to give the best upbringing that they could. 

When I was growing up I definitely missed out on a lot of time with my dad because of his desire to do his best financially for our family. I think this is one of the reasons I've cut back my hours and choose to spend so much of my time with Alfie, because I know that this time is fleeting and we cannot get it back, but I also know how hard it is to have a parent who isn't present... not through any fault of their own, and in no way for a negative reason, but I didn't want Alfie to have those same voids I had and it took a long time for me to realise how it actually affected me. It's just little things isn't it like missing a parents evening or nativity play, though it doesn't feel massive in the moment when you reflect it can hold a little sadness and when you become a parent yourself you become acutely aware of that.

I feel sad for my dad too really, because I know he'd have been there for every single moment if finances allowed at the time. He definitely makes up for it now though, we see each other nearly every day at work! 

I'm thankful for the life my mum and dad gave me, and even for the struggles had along the way, because they made me who I am. Money means nothing to me. I have friends from every corner of the country who all have different circumstances and different incomes, who live in different types of properties and have access to different things. The one thing they all have in common is their love and friendship, and that's what's important to me. My roots made me that way.