My Business Journey, Chapter 1: A Baby, a Beauty Couch and a New Beginning

Every business has a beginning. Mine involved a young baby, a portable treatment couch and a twist of fate, rather than a grand business plan. Welcome to the first chapter of my business journey: the story behind Karen Alexandra Beauty and Well-Being in Tonbridge.

This is the start of my twelve-part story. Here, I look back at the unexpected opportunity that led to my first clients. In Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists, I share how those early appointments grew around family life.

I founded my business in 2005, although I didn’t really think of it that way at the time. I was a new mum looking for a way to contribute to our family finances while spending as much time as possible with my little girl.

A new baby and a different kind of working life

Here I am with Alexandra, my first baby, in 2005. She was six months old in this photograph. Just one month earlier, I had taken the first steps towards what would become my business.

There was no big business plan or great ambitious dream. Having left my management position at Jo Malone in London, I was determined not to return to commuting after my maternity leave. Of course, that left a big hole in the family finances. I was happy to find work that would allow me to see my baby as much as possible.

An unexpected offer at a familiar Tonbridge salon

Just before Alexandra arrived, I visited Beauty Within, a hugely successful beauty salon in Tonbridge. At the time, it was the place to go for just about every beauty treatment you could think of.

I was there for the obligatory pre-birth waxing! My therapist that day was the owner and founder, Jayne Westguard. To my surprise, she recognised me from some work I had done for her 12 years earlier, when I was a newly qualified beauty therapist fresh out of West Kent College.

Without hesitation, she offered me a job once my baby was born. I instantly took her up on the offer.

The twist of fate that changed the plan

A couple of months passed. I was loving being a new mum, but also looking forward to contributing to the household income.

Then I discovered that Jayne’s salon had suffered terrible damage from a burst water tank in the roof. The entire salon had been ruined. It was devastating, and I assumed the job offer was no longer on the table.

But I was wrong. Jayne was trying to hold on to as many of her clients as possible by arranging treatments at her therapists’ homes. She asked whether I would be happy to see some of her clients.

I jumped at the chance.

A portable beauty couch and appointments around nap times

I retrieved my long-neglected portable treatment couch, wax pot and electrolysis machine from the loft. Then I began planning appointments for a handful of clients around my baby’s nap times and my husband’s shift patterns.

It was a small beginning, but it worked for our little family. I could use my training and experience while building a working life around being a mum.

After a few weeks, Jayne decided she would not be returning to her salon. It was time for pastures new. She very kindly gave me some equipment she no longer needed, I compiled my first price list, and I began treating that handful of clients regularly.

My first price list in 2005

And so I began, happily making some money for our family, slowly but surely. There was another change on the horizon, too: by the time Alexandra was eight months old, baby number two was on the way.

Looking back, those first appointments, that borrowed opportunity and the kindness of someone who remembered me were the foundations of everything that followed.

The story behind Karen Alexandra Beauty

This is Chapter 1 of My Business Journey, a series about the people, decisions and unexpected moments that shaped my business. I’m sharing the story as it happened, from those first clients onwards.

Read all 12 chapters of My Business Journey

1. Chapter 1: A Baby, a Beauty Couch and a New Beginning (you’re here)
2. Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists
3. Chapter 3: A Permanent Home
4. Chapter 4: Discovering the Skincare Range That Shaped My Business
5. Chapter 5: Finding Clients and Keeping Them
6. Chapter 6: The Ultimate Juggling Act
7. Chapter 7: The Pivot, Finding My Niche
8. Chapter 8: The COVID Years
9. Chapter 9: A New World After COVID
10. Chapter 10: A Family Affair
11. Chapter 11: A Huge Change
12. Chapter 12: On into the Future!

Continue to Chapter 2: Sleeping Babies and Homemade Price Lists.

To explore my business today, visit Karen Alexandra Beauty for skincare, makeup and wellbeing favourites, with personal advice from me in Tonbridge.

Thank you to the clients and customers who have been part of the journey. It means so much.

Karen xxx

2a Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent