Currently...

Two things! I run http://www.winebird.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Winebird, a brand new wine tasting events company that focuses on my own quirky style of teaching.

I am also a freelance writer, as well as being the new wine writing 'face' of Yum Magazine!

Before I escaped...

I had worked on the retail side of wine for years, most recently on the buying team for a well known London wine merchant.

Great job in theory and I got loads of experience, but in reality, I could barely afford to live and most of my days were full of stressful admin. In the end, I couldn't remember why I was away from home for 12 hours a day, feeling stressed out constantly, not learning anything new anymore and earning peanuts!

My moment of truth...

I ran one particular wine tasting event in my own, rather 'different' style for my best friend's Hen do. The response was so amazing - and all of them had been to wine tastings before - that they convinced me I had something unique that could be a business!

I also realised that doing this would be the perfect way to earn some money and build a profile while I got started with writing - something I had always wanted to do professionally.  So, I started thinking about how I could make it all happen...

Planning for it...

I spent a year getting up at 6am to spend an hour each day before work writing all my thoughts and ideas down on paper. Eventually, these ideas took the shape of something tangible and very exciting that encompassed all my passions at once!

My husband (who is incredibly sensible about these things) then sat me down to make sure I had a solid business plan. Once I had his support, it was all systems go. I planned to quit my job three months later, having built up the business in my spare time and made sure I'd got enough bookings in for the Christmas period to keep me going.

The worst and best bits...

The best: Being my own boss - having the time to stop and smell the flowers (metaphorically speaking), which fuels my creative side. I feel fulfilled and feel that I have achieved something with my life.

The worst: The uncertainty of income and not being very good at switching it all off for the day! Other than that... not a lot. So far.

Best advice...

Very cheesy, but it was "it's better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do".

Useful resources and information...

Business-wise, watching http://garyvaynerchuk.com/" rel="nofollow">Gary Vaynerchuck in action was a big inspiration and he gives great advice about using social networking in his http://crushitbook.com/" rel="nofollow">book. You don't have to have thousands of pounds to spend on an advertising budget to start a business, which is what I was initially quite worried about.