Hazel’s Motto Is ‘If You Can Imagine It, You Can Achieve It, If You Believe It, You Can Become It’

Hazel Langdon with her Argentine tango diploma

Setting up her own business hasn’t been easy, but Hazel Langdon says she finds it easier than when she was juggling a high-flying career with being a single mum.

Hazel has managed to turn her life-long love of dance into her career. She has set up Dance Unlimited, which offers dance lessons in Ballroom, Latin, Disco and Northern Soul. She spotted that no one was offering this type of dance in her area and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

Before taking the leap from employee to business owner, Hazel worked in HR and Consultancy Management. She reduced her hours to part-time so she could train to be a dance teacher. No doubt, difficult at the start, but well worth the effort.

Hazel said: “The business is going extremely well, better than I could have imagined at this stage. My Facebook posts are being viewed by up to 850 people and a recent video I posted was seen (and clicked on) by nearly 500 people!”

The Women’s Organisation were Hazel's first port of call. In her former job, she had rented out space within the building they're based in, 54 St James Street. All it took was a phone call and through Enterprise Hub, a business one-to-one meeting was set up.

She commented: “I just needed some current and relevant advice on how to set up. I felt excited and nervous at the same time but once I’d discussed my plans with my business adviser, I felt so much more confident.

“I received wonderful support from The Women’s Organisation, from the person who answered my initial telephone call to Yan Miao, my business adviser and of course the fantastic tutors on all of the courses I’ve been able to attend.”

The biggest barrier for Hazel, was feeling daunted by social media. Through advice and help, she’s turned this around.

Sharing her own story and tips on going it alone, Hazel advised other would-be business starters to know their product inside out.

She added: “Make sure you know your market, don’t be afraid and seek advice from professionals. Also, you will need a lot of energy so make sure you’re resilient enough to see it through from beginning to end.”

The best thing about being your own boss? - "The satisfaction of knowing that I am the one benefiting from all my hard work and enthusiasm and having the freedom to decide what, when, where and how things are done." 

And Hazel's business is going from strength to strength as she is now introducing new genres of dance including Sequence and Latino! 

Hazel was helped by The Women's Organisation! We want to make the prospect of starting your own business accessible to everyone. If you have a business idea, you can contact us on 0151 706 8111 or email hello@thewo.org.uk

If you would like more information on Hazel's dance classes check out her Facebook page here or send an email to danceunlimitedliv@gmail.com.