I walked away from my salon of 11 years. Here's what really happened…

Last June I closed my salon of 11 years.

And honestly, it was the best thing I did for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't regret that business one bit.

It had SO many happy memories, so many achievements and wins- we were award winning.

But towards the end, I couldn't serve my business like it needed and I had lost all my passion for it.

As a solo mum, I was trying to split myself in to so many different directions and I just couldn't do it anymore.

The mental load was becoming too much.

I'd had SO much responsibility on my shoulders for so many years, it was wearing me down.

I'd battled personally with a coercive control relationship, post separation abuse, financial abuse, very little support around me and the demand of looking after two young children all on my own meant that I just couldn't always give my business and my employees the best version of me - because I wasn't at my best version.

I remember the weekend I decided I was going to close my salon so clearly.

I was running around like a headless chicken trying to be mum, Kayleigh, a girlfriend, an employer and a business owner.

I was getting calls from the salon with fires that needed putting out.

Trying to run my children around to their hobbies whilst feeling so frazzled, snappy and over stimulated.

And trying to take an evening off for a date night.

And I can remember having to go into the salon on a Sunday to deal with two issues and standing there and saying "I'm done."

And I was.

I was done with no longer feeling fulfilled by my business.

I was done with my business running me- instead of me running my business.

And I was done with not giving my children my full attention.

Now you could say "why didn't you work on changing your business so you were running it- and it was running you"

I could have done- some might even say I should have done.

But at that point in my life, I didn't have the mental or emotional strength to do so.

I knew I needed to work on me, some personal development.. and honestly, some therapy.

And I knew I needed to prioritise me and my children first, before it all made me seriously ill.

So I did.

And within months of closing my salon & starting up a new business, I had found my identity again.

I found my passion, felt fulfilled in what I was doing and most importantly.. my nervous system was CALM.

After over a decade of living with a dysregulated nervous system and not realising, I felt like a completely different person.

I don't think enough people are honest about business at times.

How we have to juggle business, teams, customers AND our own personal life.

And sometimes, it just gets too much!

I want to change that.

As a beauty business mentor, I want to open up real, raw and honest conversations so others don't feel lonely, don't feel ashamed to admit they are struggling & don't feel like they are failing or drowning.

If you can relate to this, I'd love to hear back from you.

Are you at a point in your business or life where you are thinking of making a big change?

I'd love to chat - drop me an email on kayleigh@nextlevelbeautyacademy.co.uk