Lavie Tenin Soro
When I arrived in Northern Ireland in 2004, I felt scared and alone. I didn’t know anyone and could hardly speak English. I had been forced to leave my children behind in the Ivory Coast. Life was very hard. I started to take English lessons and tried to settle into Northern Ireland.
As a child, I had grown up learning to braid hair. When people in my English class discovered this, they started to ask me to do their hair afterwards. This made me start thinking about opening up my business and I approached The Prince's Trust for help. Although I had run a business before, in the Ivory Coast, it was very different here in Northern Ireland. I had a lot to learn, but I was determined to succeed, for my family.
I did some research and opened up a salon in Belfast. This proved really successful and I’ve now opened up another in Lisburn. I feel really happy with my new life here, especially now I’ve got my children back. I’ve made lots of friends.
At the moment I am concentrating on running my two salons and looking after my family. I would like to develop more product lines and employ more staff to free up some more time. Today, thanks to The Prince’s Trust, I shine.
