I began university when i was seventeen and my family was too poor to support me. I was living out of hime and simply couldn't make ends meet with part-time jobs. I eventually quit university for financial reasons and became a chef.

A few years and lots of horrible bosses later, I took a job as a sales associate, and within the fortnight i was promoted to running a store for a small company (people think I'm kidding or bullshitting when i tell them i went from casual to manager in two weeks, but it's what happened!!)

A year later my boss sent me interstate to train a new store manager for an established location. My bosses were impressed with how I went and how well trained the new manager was, and asked me to take on the task of training all new managers. Then they had me setting up stores and training staff for new locations from scratch - as the business grew, interstate travel and store openings became more frequent.

They eventually broached the idea of having me move to our base city (which is massive and scary compared to where i started) to cluster-manage a group of stores and i declined, knowing my weaknesses at that point - and they didn't go any further with the idea of an area manager at that point. A year later they asked again, this time to have me oversee all of the stores in our HQ city, and I accepted. The new position quickly evolved I am now being trained to be GM. They're teaching me absolutely EVERY aspect of operating the company.

I will soon be taken overseas as my bosses PA to learn the process of buying stock, with the outlook to having me do small buying trips solo. I believe their long term plan with me is to have me take over day to day running of the company so they can focus on setting up overseas operations and/or plan their retirement.

I never saw myself in this position - I went to university to study psychology and linguistics, but I have come to realise that business management is my forté. I don't get paid enough for what I do and the hours i work, but i see it as an apprenticeship - I am learning skills and accruing knowledge that will set me up to run my own company one day! I will be forever grateful to my bosses for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunities to reach the point i am at now, let alone where they plan on taking me.