Shani Taylor: How a young mother went from homelessness and drug addiction to running a million dollar empire
- Shani Taylor, 39, was a drug addict and homeless at age 16
- Having a child gave her the push to change her life
- Now has a successful entrepreneurial business
A single mom has revealed how she turned her life around from injecting drugs and life on the streets to running a seven-figure business.
Shani Taylor, 39, runs the business consulting firm Open to Grace, where she helps brands and entrepreneurs expand and connect.
But life hasn’t always been this good.
She grew up in a small town in New South Wales, where she fell into a life of drugs to cope with her “unstable and chaotic” family life.
At just 16 years old, Mrs. Taylor was kicked out of her family home at the age of 16, spending nights on the couch or on the street.
But in her early twenties, she gave birth to her son Oscar and credits her desire to be a good mother as what prompted her to change her ways.
Despite not having a high school diploma, she completed a college degree and started climbing the corporate ladder.
A single mom, Shani Taylor (pictured), has revealed how she turned her life from being homeless and injecting drugs at age 16 to running a seven-figure entrepreneurial business
Ms Taylor said the drastic change since her teens made it hard for people to believe her story.
“You see the photos (of me before) and they’re like two completely different people,” Ms. Taylor said in a YouTube video with Shera.
“(People say) this girl has absolutely no drugs.”
The businesswoman said she was unwilling to kick her drug addiction on her own, but that having a child gave her a greater “goal” to quit.
Her first job in the business world was recruiting and Mrs. Taylor quickly rose to a management position.
At the same time, as an adult student, she was finishing a sociology degree.
She completed the three-year course in just two years and then embarked on a postgraduate course in law.
Ms Taylor says her ‘unstable and chaotic’ home life as a child pushed her towards a life of drugs which led to her being evicted (pictured, a younger Ms Taylor)
She credited the birth of her son Oscar (pictured), now 16 years old, as the reason she was able to turn her life around and get a college degree without a high school diploma
While in college, Ms. Taylor took a course on starting a business, which kickstarted her passion for becoming self-employed.
“All the trauma of 28 years and all the growth, I didn’t see myself going back and working for someone else and clocking through and being in an office environment,” Ms. Taylor said.
She has since built her business to eclipse seven figures and write a book titled “From Ignored to Worshiped,” which aims to “ignite online connection and communication to attract your soul mate clients.”
Despite her unexpected achievements, Ms. Taylor said she was most proud of the man her son had become.
“Watching my son and the man he has already become and continues to evolve is without a doubt the best thing I have done and will ever do in my life,” she shared. 7Life.