I used £1.50 to turn my love of DIY into £480k business- now I decorate the BGT dressing rooms & Gemma Collins is a fan

DATSA Gaile always dreamed of one day being her own boss - but she never quite knew where to start.

In order to make some extra cash, the single mum-of-two, from Mansfield, Notts, spent just £1.50 on ribbons and batteries to make her own light-up Christmas decorations in 2018.

Little did she know that her small side hustle would form the basis of her business Solaair Sequin Walls UK - which boasts an impressive monthly turnover of £40k.

The working mum provides bespoke sequin walls for a host of stars including Marvin and Rochelle Humes and Gemma Collins -  and she has plans to expand even further.

Most recently, she was called up to decorate the BGT dressing room for ITV judge Amanda Holden.

Datsa spoke exclusively to Fabulous Digital for our #BOSSINGIT series about ordinary women who have launched incredible businesses

The 47-year-old said: “For many years, I dreamed of launching my own company, but I had bills to pay and of course my sons came first.

"I arrived in London 15 years ago from Latvia and I took on factory work, travelling all around the country, until I had saved enough to settle in Mansfield.

"I went to uni to study business and I worked for the council, overseeing promotions too. But though I enjoyed it all, I wanted something more."

When she started making decorations, Datsa was looking for a way to make money on the side.

She said: “One Christmas, I bought a ribbon for a pound and some batteries for 50p and started making light-up bows.

"I sold over a hundred just over Facebook and it really got me thinking – what can I do next?  I wanted to work in the events industry.”

After seeing the sequin wall trend take off on Instagram in January 2019, Datsa decided to take the plunge as nothing like it was on offer in the UK.

She used her savings to buy one wall from the Russian-based manufacturers and was commissioned for an event in London four months later.

Amazingly, four weeks after that, she was asked to set up walls at a make-up convention in Los Angeles – where Kim Kardashian’s brows artist Kelly Baker was guest speaker.

She says: “It was whirlwind. I found myself on a flight to California and I was shell-shocked. From there, my business really took off. All of a sudden, I was flying all over the world, setting up sequin panels.

"I began selling them too, and I was given exclusivity to sell in the UK. The walls are environmentally friendly, so perfectly safe to have installed in a home, which is vital to our ethos.

"I wanted something that people could buy with confidence, and know that the experience would be completely positive."