I started a business at 51 – here’s why it’s never too late

I started my beauty company YNNY Ltd by accident in 2014, at the age of 51. It was never the plan – I was just a mum who wanted to do anything I could to stop my son suffering.

In 2013, my 10-year-old son Alessio was seriously ill with an autoimmune condition that was being treated with chemotherapy.

The side-effects were awful – he developed psoriasis, his skin was cracked and bleeding, and his hair had started to fall out.

Dermatologists prescribed steroid creams but none of them helped, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I’d taken a free bath bomb course two years earlier and I’d gone on to learn how to make natural skincare and haircare products. I’d even started creating new recipes from my kitchen for fun.

I had no idea then that my hobby would go on to relieve my son’s suffering and lead me to launch a successful beauty brand in my 50s.

No products worked, so I made my own

Chemotherapy can be devastating for people’s skin and hair. Because I’d learned how to make skincare products from all the courses I’d attended, I knew I needed to try and make something for my son.

Within a month of using the shea butter balm that I made (now called Soothing Shea Butter) his skin was clear. It was life changing for him.

From there I created a shampoo and conditioner to aid hair growth, as one night I found hair on his pillow that had fallen out. When people saw his skin and how good it looked, they started asking me what I was using, and so I started sharing the balm with people who were undergoing cancer treatments.

Image: Georgina Tang and her son, Alessio

I hadn’t ever considered selling it, I just wanted to help people. Several cancer sufferers have said how the products have made their treatment more bearable and, more importantly, helped them to regain their confidence.

Meanwhile, I started learning more about anti-ageing products as I couldn’t find any effective, yet affordable ones, for myself. This led me to develop my Elixir serum.

It wasn’t long before I realised I had a successful business on my hands and soon after that I took the leap of faith by leaving my well-paid, secure housing management job to work on the business full-time.

How white-labelling works for me

I developed my online shop to reach a wider target audience, as well as selling in craft fairs. But my big break came in 2017 when a well-known beauty training academy based in Liverpool asked me if I would consider selling my products for their treatments under a white label arrangement.

Prior to that conversation, I had never heard of white labelling but I learned quickly. Six months later, my company provided and created three ranges of skin care products for them, selling across the globe.

Since then, my company has become an established supplier of natural organic skin and hair products within the beauty industry. Not only do we sell products, we also offer bespoke natural formulations and a fulfillment service, storing, packing and shipping products to customers.

I worked tirelessly to take my business to six figures and I now employ three members of staff at our headquarters in Cheshire. In the National Beauty Awards this year, my company won the Best Hair Product, Best Skincare Product and Best Beauty Entrepreneur awards – the only company to win three awards.

My age turned out to be an advantage

Don’t let age stop you from realising your dream. People worry that they are too old to start but age gave me resilience, life experiences, maturity and, more importantly, financial stability.

By my 50s I had savings so I could take risks without worrying – and business does involve risks. It can also take longer to pay than you think.

I ran my business as a side hustle for the first two years alongside my full time job, as it takes time to grow a business. But at that time, failure was never an option.

Fear of failure will stop most people before they start but you need to stay positive, practical and realistic – plan carefully, trust in yourself and take the leap.

By Georgina Tang, founder and CEO at YNNY Ltd.

Georgina Tang, 62, is a multi-award-winning beauty founder with an extraordinary against-the-odds story. The mum-of-one is the CEO of YNNY Ltd, creating handmade vegan skin and hair care, including her Elixir anti-ageing serum. Georgina has white-label clients in Dubai, the US and Europe, and works with big brands and well-known faces to create beauty products.

Learn more about YNNY Ltd