As impressive women go, Julie Chung is right up there with the best of them. A practising eye surgeon who just happened to create the hair tool brand T3 as a side hustle, we caught up about her drive, inspiration and the secret to good hair days.

You’ve been pushing the luxury hair market forward for over two decades. Were you always driven to succeed?

“If success means being mission-driven, then yes. I was raised by parents who instilled a deep responsibility to be of service to my community. That led me to medicine and becoming a glaucoma eye surgeon. At the same time, I’ve always believed in the importance of how women feel in their own skin. To me, feeling confident and put together is part of whole-body wellness.”

Were you always interested in hair?

“I grew up in a Korean immigrant household where culture places a strong emphasis on appearance, which probably explains why it’s become such a global phenomenon. Trying to understand my hair was a constant project. As a teenager, I cycled through chemical treatments and Japanese straightening, often using tools that were harsh, ineffective, or frustrating. Looking back, hair felt less like self-expression and more like something to manage.”

The Featherweight StyleMax Hair Dryer was your first launch in 2004. How did the idea come about?

“Directly from my frustration! I have thick, coarse hair, and it took nearly an hour just to blow-dry and another hour to straighten. My partner Kent couldn’t understand why the tools I used worked so poorly. His parents were hairdressers, so he was familiar with how little technology and innovation existed. We realised there was a space: tools that actually worked, were easy to use, and felt effortless. We also saw an opportunity to design tools women would want to own – most looked like garage equipment at the time! The dryer was about solving problems: speed, performance, and design without compromise.”

You mentioned your husband, and impressively, your business is still family-owned. How do you find working together?

“It’s both fun and challenging. When you work with your partner, you really must learn where to draw boundaries. We’re very intentional about when work conversations end, especially in the evenings and during family time. That said, there’s something special about building something together. We get to be creative side by side.”

You left a full-time medical career to make your dream happen. Is risk essential to success?

“I still practise one day a week. One of the most helpful perspectives I’ve learnt is that a risk doesn’t have to be irreversible. There’s almost always a path forward. Very few decisions are as final as we think. As a physician, I took the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm, and that principle directly informs how we develop our hair tools. At T3, health is never secondary. We design for beautiful results and high performance, but always with a priority of the long-term health of hair.”

Why do you think hair is so important to our self-esteem?

“Whenever I speak in front of a room full of women, I like to ask: who here feels comfortable doing their own hair? Usually, very few hands go up. Hair is often perceived as difficult and frustrating, and because of that, when it’s done well, it genuinely lifts our spirits. A great blow-dry, even without make-up, often communicates confidence and intention. Hair has long been a battleground for many women. A good hair day feels like a small but meaningful victory.”

Is there one of your products you couldn’t live without?

“Without question, the AIRE 360. My hair tends to frizz, so how I dry it really matters. The AIRE 360 has eliminated my need for chemical straightening treatments and significantly reduced how many products I use.”

Where do you see the industry going?

“There will be a deeper focus on hair health and personalisation. There’s a growing recognition that differences go beyond hair texture – women also have different lifestyles, priorities, and definitions of what ‘good hair’ means. Tools will be designed not just for performance but with long-term hair health in mind. Your hair isn’t the problem; it’s often simply a matter of finding the right tool to support what’s already there.”

The post Interview: T3 hair tools co-founder Julie Chung appeared first on Checklists.

Richard, what was your career before you went on Britain’s Got Talent?

“I was serving full-time in the British Army as a Bandsman with the Household Cavalry. I’d been in the Army for several years, and most of my role revolved around performing music for ceremonial duties, state occasions, and concerts. It was a wonderful career in itself, with a strong sense of purpose and tradition. I loved the huge amount of travel it gave me and the excitement of every day being different.”

How did magic come into the equation?

“I began learning magic when I first joined the Army to help fill some of the down times while travelling. While I loved performing music, I found that magic gave me another way to connect with people on a more personal level. In the Army, I would often perform little tricks for friends and colleagues, and I soon realised it was more than just a hobby – it was something that brought joy to others and gave me a creative outlet.”

So what made you want to apply for Britain’s Got Talent?

“Friends and family had been encouraging me for years to audition, but I always hesitated because I wasn’t sure if I was ready. Eventually, I thought: ‘why not’? The show is an incredible platform for performers, and I wanted to test myself on the biggest stage in the country. It was also a chance to represent the Army in a different way, and show a side of myself that people might not expect.”

Had you left the Army by then?

“No, I was still serving while competing and I continued part time for another six years. My mindset at the time was very much ‘just enjoy the ride.’ If I hadn’t gone all the way through to win, I would have simply gone back to my Army duties; proud that I’d given it a go. Winning was never the expectation: just the dream. I loved my Army role which is why I didn’t want to leave, despite being super-busy juggling magic shows with duties.”

What did it feel like to win?

“It was surreal. Honestly, it didn’t sink in for a while. Standing there on that stage, hearing my name called out as the winner; I’ll never forget that moment. It was overwhelming pride and gratitude all rolled into one – not just for myself, but for everyone who supported me along the way.”

Where did it all go from there?

“After winning, opportunities started coming in fast:  tours, TV work, corporate events, theatre shows – the lot. I eventually made the decision to step away from full-time service in 2022 ,so I could give 100% to magic. It wasn’t easy to leave behind my Army family, but the transition felt natural because performing had become my calling.”

What are you doing now?

“I tour around the UK with my own live shows and also perform internationally. My act combines sleight of hand, mind-reading, and storytelling; often with a nod to my military background. I perform in theatres, festivals, and private events and host lots of corporate events, so no two weeks look the same, which I love.”

How does it feel now you’re the one deciding what you do –and not an employee?

“Liberating. I get to follow my passion and shape my career on my own terms. Of course, it also means the responsibility is entirely mine, but that’s part of the excitement.”

What’s the best thing about being your own boss?

“The freedom to be creative. If I want to try out a new idea, develop a new show, or take my work in a different direction, I don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. That independence is incredibly rewarding.”

Any downside?

“The uncertainty. In the Army everything is structured and secure: you know your schedule, your pay, your role. As a self-employed performer, there are ups and downs, busy periods and quiet ones. It can be nerve-wracking, but I’ve learned to embrace the unpredictability.”

Finally, what advice would you give to anyone considering becoming their own boss?

“Go for it – but plan carefully. Follow your passion, but also be realistic about the challenges. Build a support network, stay disciplined, and don’t be afraid of failure. Most importantly, believe in yourself, because if you don’t, no one else will.”

For details of where you can see Richard’s The Sound of Magic tour click here.

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1. KBSP Partners LLP 

With over 50 years’ experience, KBSP Partners LLP are perfectly equipped to advise when it comes to professional finance management.

Being self-employed and running your own business is an incredible achievement – not to mention, liberating. Keeping on top of your game, however, does mean being all over your finances – and for some of us, that isn’t always something that comes naturally.

To ensure your business can continue to make strides – and to help you concentrate on the fun bit of working for yourself – trust your accounting to the experts at KBSP Partners LLP, a well-established accountancy firm based in Swiss Cottage, London.

Whether it’s help dealing with HMRC, auditing, bookkeeping or even setting up your company that you’re after, the team will be more than happy to help you keep your numbers in check, so you can stick to the bit you’re best at.

Find out more at kbsp.co.uk

2. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is empowering everyday entrepreneurs to build amazing online businesses by introducing GoDaddy Websites and Marketing, combining an easy-to-use website builder with a suite of marketing tools to help people with little or no marketing know-how reach new customers and fuel business growth.

GoDaddy have always helped customers build business websites, but now offers GoDaddy InSight™ – a smart technology which guides users through the process of marketing their website and bringing their business to an ever-growing marketplace. GoDaddy InSight™ is the only product in the industry that provides tailored ongoing guidance based on business goals, comparing performance to other businesses in the same sector.

GoDaddy Websites + Marketing is designed to be the single tool you need to manage an online presence, combining the power of a professional website with the marketing reach of the world’s largest search, social and commerce platforms.

Find out more at uk.godaddy.com

3. TaxAssist Accountants

Introducing Vince Dalaimo, the TaxAssist Accountants franchisee for Central London. He joined the group in 2003 after deciding he needed to change his career path. Now, operating from a shop in Southwark, he looks after over 1,000 clients with a fee bank of over £1 million.

Before he joined TaxAssist, Vince was a senior product controller in credit derivatives for the Royal Bank of Canada. A qualified accountant, he had also worked for Deutsche Bank, supervising and training teams on corporate and government bond work.

“I was a very small cog in a very big wheel and thought there must be more to life,” explained Vince. “I didn’t think there would be a franchise model which matched my skills set so well, but TaxAssist Accountants enables you to build your client base, with the back-up of a national brand and the high visibility of shop-front premises.”

Find out more at taxassistfranchise.co.uk

4. Kaplan 

Training is an essential part of not only growing a business but its employees too. When it comes to finance, accountancy and digital training, you need to know you’re investing in trusted experts so your company and your staff can flourish.

As a world-leading apprenticeship provider, Kaplan is currently offering a free consultation to ensure you’re fully up to date with the very latest information regarding training, including funding to upskill your existing staff or recruit your future workforce.

As part of its training consultation, Kaplan will be able to advise you on available government funding and apprenticeships, accountancy and tax training programmes, digital training programmes and more. 

With 75 of the FTSE Top 100 companies using Kaplan Financial in the UK for accountancy, banking, finance and digital training, it seems clear who you can trust when it comes to training your staff.

Find out more at kaplan.co.uk

5. BuzzBrand

As an entrepreneur you’ll be looking forward to your business growing, the money starting to flow in and that critical point when you start generating a healthy profit. But are you dedicating enough time to developing your strategy, products and services, or are you tied-up with making boxes, negotiating with parcel couriers or learning the intricacies of SEO?

BuzzBrand know that starting and scaling an eCommerce business can be complicated and confusing. So, they offer a personalised set of services to help start-up, small and medium size eCommerce businesses turn their dreams into reality. The BuzzBrand team can help you with almost anything, from website development and digital marketing to order fulfilment and book-keeping.

They have been helping businesses grow for over 30 years and their goal is to put your success at the heart of what they do. Every business is unique, so BuzzBrand services are tailored to you.

Find out more at buzzbrand.com

6.  Car4Leasing ­

Whether you are looking to upgrade your existing fleet of cars, add to your fleet or get your first company car, Car4Leasing have the tools to assist. With contract lengths from two to five years, variable mileage allowances and optional maintenance contracts covering servicing, tyres and breakdown, they have you covered.

All Car4Leasing vehicles are brand new with a minimum of three years’ manufacturer warranty. Leasing is now the norm for business car contracts and leasing from Car4Leasing will provide you affordable, fixed-cost motoring plus unrivalled service and the peace of mind that you need to concentrate on running your own business.

Find out more at car4leasing.co.uk

7. Starling Bank

Lockdown has forced many of us to do more of our banking digitally, saving us time and making it easier than ever to manage our finances wherever, whenever.

But Starling Bank have gone one step further. Award-winning Starling Bank is entirely digital and has no bricks and mortar stores – the ideal app for those who live their lives through their phones. With the Starling banking app, you’ll get instant notifications about your ingoings and outgoings, as well as up-to-date insight on your spending habits, so you can constantly improve and save more.

You can set yourself goals using the app to help you save for a rainy day, you can manage any IOUs from your mobile and generate a link to share with friends and family on those occasions you’re splitting a bill.

Find out more at starlingbank.com

8. Aldermore

Running your own business can bring a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. Nothing beats seeing new customers coming on board and watching your business grow.

But managing any business also brings challenges. Inevitably, one of these is cash flow. Some business customers may insist on payment terms of 60 or 90 days, while others may not pay reliably on time. It’s a fact of life that you can never be entirely sure when those vital funds will come in.

However, there are solutions. One of these is invoice finance. Instead of waiting around for funds to arrive or spending valuable time chasing payments, invoice finance can help you access up to 90% of your full invoice value straightaway.

Aldermore specialises in offering finance solutions like this to help businesses achieve their aspirations, lending over £2.9 billion each year to help fuel growth.

Find out more at aldermore.co.uk

9. Ideal Schools

Let Ideal Schools take the stress out of starting up your own business. When you embark on the road to self-employment, proper planning is essential and an Ideal Schools’ tutor-supported course will ensure you give yourself the very best chance of success.

Covering aspects such as start-up considerations, market research, business planning, funding, VAT, marketing and more, you’ll be able to embrace the flexibility that self-employment provides. At the end of your course, you will be presented with a completion certification and continued career support.

Ideal Schools’ professional, award-winning, accredited bookkeeping and accounting courses also provide a valuable skill where self-employment opportunities are available.

Find out more at idealschools.co.uk

10. Northgate Vehicles

With over 35 years of experience, Northgate Vehicle Hire provides bespoke fleet management services that offer businesses a range of flexible, fair and financially savvy hire plans.

Whether you need a flexible or fixed-term rental, each vehicle comes with servicing, maintenance, road tax, and breakdown recovery, all included in one simple regular cost.

Northgate serve various sized businesses, from owner-operators to corporate customers, across a wide range of industries. By working with Northgate, you will have access to a comprehensive range of vehicles that can be supplied to match any requirement. From branding to beacons, racking to roof bars, you can tailor our hire vans to your business.

Find out more at northgatevehiclehire.co.uk

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

The post Bossing it – 10 ways to master running your own business appeared first on Checklists.

You might love your job, but could still be thinking about becoming your own boss. Taking on the responsibilities of owning your own business is, of course, terrifying at first. There’s always the doubt whether or not it might fail. 

Owning your own business may be both personally and professionally challenging. If you’re becoming a business owner, the benefits of being your boss could just persuade you that it’s worth the risk.

To be the director of your business, consider the following benefits of being your boss over working for someone else.

Financial Benefits 

You can choose how and when to spend your money. You also have control over how much money you make. If you wish to take a few weeks off, you could earn less that month. If you want to work longer hours and increase sales to save money for the holidays, that is also your choice. 

As the owner of the business, you have the authority to make financial decisions for the company. The company itself is valuable, and you may decide your own and your workers value also.

Perform the tasks you want 

Business owner have influence over the activities they perform. You will spend some attention on matters like human resources and hiring, even if you only have a few members of staff and money.

However, you are not required to manage all of the day-to-day activities that might distract you from the elements of the business in which you are interested.

This is especially true when your company grows and you may recruit individuals to handle day-to-day operations in certain areas. As the boss, you can spend some time assessing performance and asking questions.

Retire when you want

Self-employment allows you to retire when you want. It allows you to save more for retirement since you may make a greater yearly income.

Self-employment not only allows you to contribute more to your retirement account each year but also provides you with more chances to produce the sort of money required to support early retirement.

Choose your colleagues

Choose and handpick who you work with, the individuals who will work and be beside you on a daily basis. You can build your perfect workplace, with a work culture that benefits both you and your workers.

When recruiting, you are the decision-maker. The decision to employ an applicant is ultimately yours. Owning your own business with your own employees means you may also select which clients to deal with or who to avoid if at all possible.

Control your future

One of the biggest benefits of owning your own business is having influence over your company’s future. You can mold it into anything you want it to be. Being your own employer means you may invest money and make decisions without fear of being criticised or questioned.

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

The post The perks of being your own boss appeared first on Checklists.

For many individuals, being your own boss, and striving to achieve their objectives is the ultimate career dream.

An entrepreneur is a person who creates their own business. Every person’s road to entrepreneurship is different, but being a successful entrepreneur sometimes means you have to prepare for failure and criticism. There are approximately 407,505 new businesses born across all sectors in 2020. Sadly, not all of them make it, around 90% of start-ups fail. 

As we grow older, we tend to gravitate towards careers that are exciting or unusual. There are many reasons why entrepreneurs are successful. They often have the ability to solve a problem or provide a service that helps the community. How do you know whether becoming an entrepreneur is right for you? Most entrepreneurs share the same traits. Entrepreneurs, first and foremost, appreciate their freedom. They want to be their own boss, in charge of their own schedules and lives. 

Are you ready to embark on the next chapter of your life as a business owner? Discover the abilities and qualities you’ll need to succeed if you want to be an entrepreneur.

Find the right business for you

Many people desire to start their own business but are unsure about which field to pursue. Entrepreneurship is a broad phrase. You can be an entrepreneur in almost any field. So, finding a field to work in and building a business to establish is the starting point. You’ll need more than money to keep you motivated; you’ll need a reason to do what you’re doing. You must enjoy what you do in order to achieve long-term success, as well as one that will be successful. Make sure it’s something you are passionate about as being an entrepreneurship is demanding. 

Business planning

You must have a business strategy before you start your company. You need to prepare ahead of time, this will help you get to market faster. The reasoning behind a business plan is it assisting you in gaining clarity, focus, and confidence in your business. Your business will take shape as you put out your objectives, strategy, and action actions.

Know your target audience

You should also do market research, examining the audience for a demand.  This might be the most crucial action you do. Maybe you aspire to start a restaurant in your hometown. What about the other restaurants? Do they seem to be doing well? Is there another restaurant in your neighborhood that could potentially be a competition? 

Find out if consumers will actually buy your items or services before you invest money. Outside your family and friends, who will buy your products or services? 

Test the idea

How do you know if somethings going to work? It sounds self-explanatory but tests. The best place to do this is with local companies. If you’re trying to sell a product start off with small companies to see if the product will sell. Before investing more money, and more time into something testing to see whether or not It will work will save you time. 

Build your network

Getting a business off the ground is the tricky part. To make it simpler seek the help of other experts. Those that invest the effort to network will reap the benefits.  Seek entrepreneurs within your family, friends, neighbours. Make it your mission to learn new things about entrepreneurship.

Continue to learn new things

Once you’ve become an entrepreneur the learning doesn’t stop there. Continuing to learn is the key to success. The more knowledge you have about something the better. Reading books by a successful entrepreneur you admire is also a good idea. Even if the books you’re reading are not in the same field as you, their triumphs and mistakes may teach you a lot. Observing how others tackle difficulties might provide you with ideas for how to solve your own problems.

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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Owning or working for a small business can be extremely rewarding. Business owners will have a good perspective of the processes, the work is visible, and you have the chance to make a significant contribution during the company’s growth years. Then there are the less glamorous elements, like the restricted budgets and limited resources. Not to mention the lack of direction and leadership, which can start to drag you or your business down.

It’ll be great if someone threw you in some help every now and again, wouldn’t it? We did just that, below is a list of templates you can use to improve your workflow, save time, and accomplish more.

Invoice templates

Get paid faster with professional invoicing templates. Invoices are a commercial document delivered by a seller to a buyer about a sale transaction and stating the items, quantities, and agreed pricing for products or services the seller has provided the customer is known as an invoice, bill, or tab. Payment conditions are also mentioned on the invoice. They follow a template to ensure you don’t forget to include important details when filling out your invoices.

Paying people for items and services that enable you to sell things and services to the public for which they will eventually pay you is the essence of running a small business. It’s a little more involved than that, but you’ll need a lot of invoices nonetheless.

Stay organised and get your free invoice generators here.

Biography templates

Does your professional biography make a statement? The most crucial piece of self-promotional text you’ll ever create. It’s a first look into what your business does, who you are, what you do, and what you’re passionate about. A professional biography is a statement produced about a person, business, or corporation that can be brief or long. It should be entertaining, educational, and interesting so that the readers can relate with the person or company spoken about.

Short biographies describe a business or a person’s essential biographical facts and their significance, whereas extended biographies go the additional mile and contain more information for a more engaging read.

Writing your professional biography is not only important, it’s also really hard. We’ve helped you out so you can download your professional biography templates here.

Employee timesheet template

Time tracking is a time-consuming process, record your staff hours with ease. If you’re looking for a way to master your employee time sheets, check out the free templates. Filling out a premade timesheet template is considerably faster and more effective than manually preparing and filling in timesheets on a daily basis, which may be time consuming and prone to errors.

This basic timesheet form can be used to track hours worked. The time sheet it tracks time in, time out, and lunch breaks for each day of the work week. Total hours, normal hours, and overtime hours are automatically computed in an Excel timesheet. This timesheet form might also assist you in keeping track of your time.

Download the employee timesheet templates in order to make the process go more smoothly.

Project timeline template

Do you want to be organised and see what next to do with your business? A project timeline is a visual representation of the project’s deliverables. It gives a quick yet thorough visual picture of a project from beginning to end. With milestones, tasks, dependencies, and delivery dates, a thorough schedule creates a roadmap for your project.

This timeline template makes it easy to keep track of project deadlines and progress. Simply insert the project’s start date, team members’ names, and their tasks to the project calendar. Continually update the progress of the project.

Download your project timeline templates here

Business financial plan

A financial business plan is developed by putting together all of a business applies real financial data and projections to put the rest of your business plan in context. This is usually done by both income and initial costs. A cash flow prediction is required in any business plan. The rest of the plan explains the company’s narrative and how it will carry out its strategy.

The financial section of a business plan will decide whether or not the business concept is viable, and it will be the focus of any investors who may be interested in it. The income statement, cash flow forecast, balance sheet, are the financial statements that make up the financial section. It should also provide a brief description of the situation.

Get your free business financial plan here.

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email laura@hurstmediacompany.co.uk or editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

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