A woman who left a job at Tesco to launch her own business was shortlisted for a national award after only seven months.
Elana Green, 23, worked at a Prescot branch of the supermarket chain for three years and tried marketing and law courses at Edge Hill University before taking the leap and pursuing her dream. She said: "I did enjoy law, I made so many amazing friends and I found it so, so interesting, but I just knew something was missing.
"People would say to me, 'What do you want to do in the future?', and whereas everybody else was so sure that they wanted to be a barrister or they wanted to work in HR, I didn't really have an answer because I knew that wasn't where my passion was."
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Growing up in Eccleston Park, St Helens, Elana enjoyed being at her mum's laser hair removal clinic. Bonding with her over skincare as she suffered with anxiety and acne in her teens, Elana said she learnt the beauty industry is about more than just what goes on the surface of your skin.
She believes people "become an entirely different person" when they look and feel better about themselves, she said: "With laser hair removal, you can always help people. Facial hair and different forms of body hair that are unwanted can be really restrictive for people's confidence."
That was her passion all along, and she remained the person friends went to for skincare advice, even as those dreams sat on the backburner before realising the rigid structure of a 9-to-5 job wasn't for her. But Elana felt "overwhelmed" by the thought of breaking with that, saying: "I was very apprehensive. Everybody has their ups and downs, and I really didn't know what to do. I didn't really know where to turn. I just felt very unsettled."
Elana embarked on studying, training and stressing over exams to qualify in aesthetic therapies - non-surgical procedures designed to combat aging and refresh skin. In August 2021, she opened her own clinic, based at 122 South Road, Crosby.
She loves forming personal relationships with her clients, helping them gain confidence. Elana said: "There was a lady a few weeks ago and she has [a hormonal condition]. She hadn't been makeup-free in years and she'd just finished her third facial with us because we do monthly facials for acne treatment.
"She came in and she said, 'This is the first time I've not worn makeup in five years. I've not worn makeup once this week', and just hearing that, it made me feel absolutely incredible."
Elana was "overwhelmed" when she got an email saying she'd been shortlisted in the 'rising star of the year' and 'skin specialist' categories of the British Hair and Beauty Awards. She said: "These seven months have gone so quickly. I felt so grateful to every single friend, every single family member, every single person who's walked into our clinic, every person who's every liked our Instagram pictures, every person who's shared something.
"I just felt so supported and grateful, because there was absolutely no way I thought that I would get even nominated for these awards, so to be nominated for two out of the whole of Britain, I was over the moon about it. I was absolutely delighted."
Now, Elana is aiming to launch her own skincare line made from natural products like aloe vera. Part of her five-year plan is the open a training academy to help others follow their dreams like she has. She said: "I wake up every day now and I'm excited to go to work, I'm excited to see what the future holds."
