Accentuating positive with make-up job

April Johson, 50, has found a new lease of life working as a self-employed manager for Oriflame.

She is now immersed in the world of make-up, perfumes and toiletries.

And more importantly she can work her day around her family, partner Tony and 14-year-old daughter Chloe.

April, of Whitwell, said: “When I was in banking I was away from 7.30am to 7pm. My daughter had a better rapport with her childminder than with me.”

“I was a regional sales manager with a target of £23m a year to meet.”

“It was very stressful and I had been in the job for 30 years from leaving school. I was single and it was difficult.”

“The benefit of being self-employed now is that I have a better work-life balance.”

It was in July 2010 that arsonists set fire to the home where April and Chloe lived with April’s mum Hilda.

“My mum was never the same after that. She had to go into a home because we couldn’t live in the house for 12 months while it was renovated.”

“She died last year at the age of 91,” said April.

The fire began at 3 o’clock in the morning and they lost most of their possessions.

That same year April was made redundant from RBS.

Then the following year Chloe’s dad died suddenly at the age of 45.

April said: “It was an awful time. On a lesser scale we also missed a holiday to Turkey because the flight company went bust, and my computer crashed and I lost all my work.”

But she believes that everything happens for a reason, and has somehow managed to retain a positive attitude.

She said: “I had already started to read self-development books and that was a real help.”

“It teaches you how to keep going and it helped me to get through it by focusing on the positives, like the fact we’ve now got virtually a brand new house.”

April joined Oriflame in July last year and is so happy in her job that she wants to encourage others to join her.

“The good thing about this job is that it’s flexible, you can fit it round other things. So if other things have to take priority in your life you can drop this if necessary, you don’t have to answer to a boss all the time.”

April said is was perfect for new mums who wanted, or needed, to work.

“You can take it as far as you want regardless of what your qualifications are,” she said.

April is now looking to recruit people to her team, from anywhere in the UK or Ireland.

“I can help and support people to get going. Sometimes it can be frustrating working for yourself when things aren’t going as you want, but it’s worth sticking at it,” she said.

For more information go to gb.oriflame.com/homepage/april or call 07515 727876.