I was working as a project coordinator for a steel company when I got the idea for my business.

I was working in a male dominated industry and I found myself drawn to wearing a french cuff business shirt because it provided me with added courage and confidence.

In trying to source these shirts I realised they lacked femininity, range and they were pricey.

This is when it dawned on me that I could start my own shirt business specifically for women.

It took a further 2 years thinking about the concept before I made any real attempt at starting the business.

I then worked on it in the evenings for 6 months before really committing and quitting the safety of my corporate job.

I studied Business Management so I had a vague idea of what was involved but in reality my project management skills and gut instinct were the only ones I relied upon.

As for fashion, apart from loving fashion I had no idea about the industry.

I think this is both good and bad, it's good because you can make sure you do things differently and therefore stand out, and bad because fashion is actually very structured, planned and everyone works to a seasonal deadline, so you have to be ahead of the game.