Guy Who Quit His Job To Start Own Business Now Makes £650,000 A Year

A guy who decided to pack his job in and start his own children's hairdressing business after being turned down for a promotion now has nine salons and turns over £650,000 ($903,000).

David O'Neal, 32, had a successful career in banking but decided to pack it in and gain a qualification in hairdressing.

He told the Sun Online: "I was working in retail banking, it was a very secure job and I was making £32,000 ($44,000) a year.

"But I am ambitious and I always had this dream of launching my own business. This time failure actually gave me a push.

"When I went for a promotion and I didn't get the job, I knew it was time for me to move on."

The idea for David's business came to when trying to cut his sons' hair.

"My boys always moaned about having a trim," he told the paper.

"I came up with the idea of just giving them a PlayStation or putting on a movie while doing the job and they loved it."

And so, he set about creating Shortcuts children's hairdressers, which lets kids aged five and under sit in mini-car chairs while having their hair cut - or for older kids, there's a PlayStation to play on or a cartoon to watch. I'm not being funny, but why is it only kids getting this? I feel like us adults are missing out.

David explains that, for children, having a haircut can be quite daunting so tries to change into something fun.

He said: "Everything from the colourful atmosphere of the shop to the games is tailored for the children.

"They can relax without their parents worrying that they will disturb other customers."

David opened his first shop in 2014 in Milton Keynes and has since gone from strength to strength - he now has nine salons in total and has 30 employees.

He now has plans for a sister company - cafes with soft-play areas for little ones.

WATCH: THIS PLANE HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO A HAIR SALON

And he has this advice for anyone thinking of starting their own business: "Leaving a job and taking a risk can be scary, especially when you have young kids.

"My wife Kylie has been absolute rock.

"So, make you sure you have someone to support and encourage you throughout the process."

Source: The Sun

Featured Image Credit: SWNS/The Sun

Topics: Business, Interesting, UK

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19