An ex-soldier has been nominated for a Nottinghamshire women's business award after setting up her own beauty training academy just six months ago.
Rebecca Hood, 36, of Ollerton, served in the forces for 10 years as an administrator for a squadron of around 120 soliders.
After leaving her military career behind in July 2017, Rebecca, who had been a hairdresser for 8 years before the army, decided to go back into beauty.
Following a training course with a national eyelash company, Mrs Hood established the RH Lash Brow and Make Up Academy last October.
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She said: "Part of my job in the army was to deliver teaching to the squadron on subjects such as how to make a presentation, and I really enjoyed that teaching aspect to my career.
"When I came out of the army and trained in lashes, I realised that there was a real lack of that one to one teaching in the beauty industry and it was a gap in the market that I wanted to fill."
Based in the Nottinghamshire village of East Drayton, the company is focused on giving beauticians the best start to their career and offers one and two-day accredited courses which have been custom built by Rebecca, based on her experience and training skills in various salons.
She said: "I want to try and do courses in make up and brows as well but even with just the lash courses I'm really busy at the minute.
"It's literally just me at the academy, and I teach groups of up to eight people in three different courses, as well as having my own clients as a beautician, my own range of products and looking after three children.
"I really wanted to make sure that as well as teaching I was also dealing with my own clients, because I firmly believe that if you're not still practicing the subject you teach then you're not leading by example - which was a big focus when I was in the army."
Rebecca moved to Ollerton last July with her three daughters, aged 14, nine and two, after her husband of seven years, who she met as a solider in the army, was posted to Afghanistan.
She said: "We'd been living in South Wales but I'd already owned the house in Ollerton for seven years so when my husband had to move again I wanted to move my daughters with me back to Nottingamshire because I really just wanted to let them settle down.
"I've been all over the world in the army and have been to places like Belgium, Germany and Iraq, so I thought that they'd all been moved around enough.
"Even though I was a company clerk, whatever job you do in the army you are trained as a soldier so that you're ready for combat should anything happen to you, so first and foremost I was a soldier."
After a promising start for the beauty business, Rebecca then received the news earlier this month that she had been nominated in the North Nottinghamshire Business Women Awards.
The awards were created in 2016 to celebrate successful businesswomen from across the region, and Rebecca hopes that the nomination will help her academy.
She said: "I was completely overwhelmed when I was told about the nomination and I keep having to pinch myself because I can't believe how well things are going at the minute.
"It turns out that I was nominated by one of my clients, which was really nice to know because I am completely by myself at the academy so its good to see that what I do is appreciated.
"The company isn't just about people wanting to start out in the industry, it's also for people who might want to re-join it or switch to it from another career, I've had everyone from police officers to technicians training with me.
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"It's all about giving people that extra string to their bow so hopefully this nomination will let even more people know about what I do."
Public voting is now open in the awards until midnight on Friday, May 31.
Rebecca's business is competing in the Hair, Beauty and Style Category, along with ten others, and the top four will be announced as finalists for the award ceremony on Friday, July 12, in Retford.
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