OUR CAREER CROSSROADS

Three women tell us why they did a U-turn and embarked on a completely new vocation

- ANNA MATHESON

'I didn't want to live with regrets'

Tina Lipfriend, 61, lives in London.

I remember sitting down at the kitchen table with a piece of paper and writing on it, 'What the hell do I do now?" It was February 2020 and six months earlier I'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, spinning my whole life out of control as I'd undergone months of invasive chemotherapy, causing me to lose my hair and feel horrendous. I needed to give myself something to focus on.

FRESH START

Pre-diagnosis, at 57, I helped out at a food bank and ran a local reading group while raising my two daughters.

I was happy, but fighting cancer taught me how short life is. I'd always wanted to work for myself and didn't want to live with regrets.

The idea of setting up a rental designer handbag business wasn't something I'd harboured from childhood. In fact, it's still a relatively new concept. Luxury handbags come with a jaw-dropping price tag. Not something you can buy on a whim, and for most of us they remain out of reach. The idea just came to me randomly one day.

BagButler allows people to have access to Chanel and Dior bags without having to worry about getting into debt. With the help and encouragement of my family I decided to give it a go, excited by the prospect of a fresh start. I got my website designed and I was mainly driven by a willingness to jump in and learn on the job.