SAT alone in her council flat 15st 7lb single Terri-Ann Nunns struggled to make ends meet, having taken comfort in food following the stillbirth of her daughter and the breakdown of her marriage.
But, fast-forward seven years, and the 35-year-old from Doncaster, south Yorkshire, is a diet guru who makes £500k-a-year.
Having tried and failed dozens of diets mum-of-four Terri-Ann was spurred on to create a weight loss plan of her own which involves cutting back for six days of the week and enjoying food on the seventh day.
Her brainwave means she is now able to lead an enviable millionaire lifestyle – and she even drives Kylie Minogue’s old Range Rover.
But despite having £20,000 worth of handbags stashed in the attic of her £520,000 five-bedroom home, her ideal holiday is still a low-key weekend away in their family caravan.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital for our new Bossing It series, about ordinary women who have launched incredible businesses, Terri-Ann tells us about her inspiring journey.
“When I first starting making money, I wouldn’t let my kids wear anything but designer goods," Terri-Ann says, recalling her early days of wealth, after quitting her former 16-hour-a-week job as a sales administrator at Motor Trader.
"I’d come from nothing and wanted people to see I was doing well, so I’d buy expensive bags, coats and shoes.
"I’ve got six pairs of Louboutins, but I don’t wear them now – they’re uncomfortable!"
But now, despite earning around £500k a year, Terri-Ann's feet are firmly on the ground.
It was tragedy which led to her setting up Terri-Ann's 123 Diet Plan.
“I gave birth to twins (Angelo and Kelise) in October 2005, but my little girl died during the birth," she says.
"It really affected my mental wellbeing. I had post-natal depression and my weight spiralled out of control as I took comfort in food."
“I had another little girl (Aaleyah, 12) 11 months later, but split from her dad in 2009. I tried all sorts of diets but nothing worked.
"I weighed 15st 7lb when I met my current husband Michael, 30, in 2011. He’s five years younger than me, so I thought, ‘I’ve got to get this weight off once and for all!’
“As a single mum living in a council flat, I wasn’t in a financial position to go to weekly meetings like they do at Weight Watcher or pay expensive one-off fees, so I decided to play about with different foods and aspects of other diets I’d followed before and create something of my own.”
After losing three-and-a-half stone in five months by following her homemade plan, Terri-Ann shared her progress photos on Facebook, where she was inundated with messages from pals – and strangers – begging to know her secret.
“I inboxed them a list of foods I was eating and a couple of recipes, and as the weeks went by more and more people began messaging me, telling me how much they’d lost and sharing their own progress pictures to show off to their mates,” she recalls.
“It was getting out of control, so I made a Facebook group where people could share what worked for them. I took that information and added it to my document – and that’s really how the diet plan was born.”
Having been encouraged to sell her diet plan by her mum's friend, Terri-Ann left her 16-hour-a-week job as a sales administrator at Motor Trader and designed an A4, black and white booklet to send out to her members for a one-off fee.
She invested around £50 of her own cash on printing out the booklets and postage. Any profit she made, she put straight back into the business.
In its first year the business turned over £58,000, with Terri-Ann pulling 20-hour days to ensure she offered personal support to her members. This year it’s expected to turnover £650,000.
"I always thought people who ran businesses were well-educated people, with diplomas and university degrees – not struggling single mums," she admits.
Terri-Ann’s plan – which helped her slim to a trim size 8 – has the seal of approval from dietitian Ro Huntriss, who she teamed up with in 2017.
She’s also swapped her cramped council flat for her dream home – in her beloved Doncaster – complete with a cinema room, spa area, pool table, double garage (which she converted into an office) and playroom.
Though she admits to leading a millionaire lifestyle, she and her family still enjoy a weekend away in their caravan just as much as an exotic getaway.
“We do have luxury holidays, but I still love going to normal places like Tenerife," Terri-Ann says.
Why I support #BOSSINGIT
Sun on Sunday columnist Karren Brady says:
"I am a passionate supporter of encouraging women to learn new skills to help give them the confidence to reach out and achieve their ambitions.
"This brand new series will help share different stories which I hope will act as inspiration and show just what can be achieved with grit and determination."
“We have a caravan, so at the weekends we’ll go off in that. Though I do find it difficult to switch off – my phone is my computer, and I still strive to support my members seven days a week.
“I was still answering their questions while I was in labour with my six-year-old daughter Aamaya! Even though I’ve got 10 staff members now and could easily sit back and not do a thing, that’s not how I started and I want to stay true to myself.”
Terri-Ann still insists on pumping profits back into the business: “I used to spend my wages the first day I got them, but now I’m constantly reinvesting it.
“These days I’m more of a high street girl – I shop in River Island, Next and Zara. I do drive Kylie Minogue’s old Range Rover Vogue which I bought for £90,000 – I didn’t know it was her car when I bought it, but when I looked in the log book it had her name and address.”
Terri-Ann, also mum to Aamaya, six, and Arlo, two-and-a-half, has recently teamed up with Katie Piper to work on a diet plan for new mums and is launching a mental wellbeing ‘food and mood’ guide in partnership with a psychologist in March.
Thinking of starting a business?
Terri-Ann says: "Find something you’re passionate about – not just something you think is going to make loads of money. If you’re passionate about it, it’ll be an easier and inevitably a more lucrative process.
"Don’t be greedy – appeal to everybody, not just a small market, because you’ve got more chance of making money. I’d rather sell a load cheap than sell six at £100.
"I undercut everybody, but I sell a lot. People are cutting costs now – the likes of Aldi and Lidl are cheap and they're challenging the other supermarkets; people want a bargain.
"Take a leap – if it’s something you’re passionate about, you’ll make it a success, so just go for it! Think about the 'what ifs', not the 'what if I don’t do it'."
“My business has changed me as a person, 1,000 per cent,” she admits.
“I used to go out drinking all the time with my friends, even when I had kids. Now I’m on my phone working until midnight and up at 7am.
"If I’ve got a hangover, I can’t work 16 hours a day!”
We will be running more incredible #BOSSINGIT success stories every Monday.
We previously told how a woman left school with one GCSE and was a shop girl – and now owns a £5m false lash brand.
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