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<\/p>\nJUGGLING children and earning a decent living is a nightmare to navigate for most parents. <\/p>\n
Many mums end up working part-time and taking big pay cuts because they can find no other way of looking after their kids.<\/p>\n
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But Raz Wright, 46, found an ingenious way to earn six-figures while still being there for every single school run.<\/p>\n
She told The Sun: "I absolutely love it. It gives me the freedom to pick up kids from school."<\/p>\n
The mum-of-two has cashed in by offering professional quality braids to other parents.<\/p>\n
And she says any parent can follow in her footsteps. <\/p>\n
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It started when Raz had been looking for a new career after having her two children, now aged 11 and 8. <\/p>\n
By chance, she decided to take braiding lessons because she was worried about her daughter catching head lice at school. <\/p>\n
But she soon realised there was a big demand from parents who want their children's hair styled.<\/p>\n
She says: "I'd never worked in the hair and beauty industry.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n "My daughter has an incredible amount of hair \u2013 I was anxious about her catching head lice."<\/p>\n Raz adds: "I wanted to make her hair look good.<\/p>\n "So I had braid lessons and came across the braid bar concept. <\/p>\n "I thought, parents like me could do with a braid bar in Southampton."<\/p>\n In 2019, she took the plunge and set up Trenza Braid Bar in her local shopping centre. <\/p>\n Parents could bring children to the pop-up stall and have their hair braided – paying around \u00a345 a pop. <\/p>\n The business was an instant success and, despite Covid, her earnings were in the region of \u00a375,000 during the first year. <\/p>\n Raz adds: "I found a niche, filled a gap and created something that we didn\u2019t have on the South Coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n "On many days we couldn\u2019t keep up with the demand."<\/p>\n Throughout the lockdowns that followed, she kept her business active on social media posting on her Instagram account @trenza_braidbar as well as TikTok. <\/p>\n By 2022 she was earning \u00a3145,000 from the braid bar – far more than she had been making in her previous career in events.<\/p>\n But being in the shopping centre was expensive, costing around \u00a31,000 a day for the stand. <\/p>\n Earlier this year, Raz decided to move the business to her own back garden and build a braid bar there.<\/p>\n She drums up business via social media, as well as relying on long-standing customers and her website Trenza.co.uk.<\/p>\n Raz also offers braiding at festivals.<\/p>\n The change has created a better home-life balance, which was her reason for starting the business in the first place.<\/p>\n After noticing many parents talk about not knowing how to braid, Raz started offering lessons as part of her business. <\/p>\n She has launched The Braid School, which teaches anyone how to braid. <\/p>\n Raz is also offering a commercial day class that will train people to provide so-called feed-in braids or festival braids. <\/p>\n The mini-course costs \u00a3450 but Raz reckons people can then go on to start a side hustle offering the braids at festivals, local fairs or even through a local braid bar. <\/p>\n She said: "It's definitely suited to parents who might want to earn extra income \u2013 it's something you can easily do at the weekend.<\/p>\n "There are no start-up costs as such,you just need to learn how to braid…<\/p>\n "Create a free Instagram page and get going."<\/p>\n If you start a side hustle you can earn up to \u00a31,000 a year without paying tax. <\/p>\n After this, you'll need to start filling in a self-assessment tax return. <\/p>\n Here's how one woman quit her job to launch a side hustle now worth \u00a3100m.<\/p>\n And a side-hustle expert reveals how she makes \u00a3500 a day. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24098994-1695420487599.jpg\")
<\/picture>SHUTTERS DOWN <\/span><\/p>\nMajor supermarket will close ‘badly organised & outdated’ stores<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/comp-skc-coin.jpg\")
<\/picture>THAT’S MINT! <\/span><\/p>\nTwo coins worth 100s of times their face value… and how to spot them<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0825e019-5b0e-4475-885b-2320de85ddcc.jpg\")
<\/picture>END OF AN ERA <\/span><\/p>\nWilko reveals exact date remaining 111 stores will close for good in October<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/close-up-collection-modern-polymer-846342643-1.jpg\")
<\/picture>CASH IN <\/span><\/p>\nExact date you need to claim for \u00a3599 cost of living payment or miss out on cash<\/h3>\n
How you can start a braiding side hustle<\/h2>\n
READ MORE SUN STORIES<\/span><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nMatt Hancock PUNCHED in face by footie star in first episode of Celeb SAS<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nMAFS UK\u2019s Laura was on another HUGE reality show before E4 programme<\/h3>\n