Since she was a little girl, Jet Slack's dream has been to run her own business. At first, she wanted to own a wool shop. 'You know how some people dream of sweetshops? I dreamt of being sat in the shop with this array of glorious colours.'

Jets, as she prefers to be called, admits she feels lucky to be living her dream, and doing a job she loves now, designing and selling beautifully intricate beaded jewellery (which she's wearing in the photo on the right).

Although she had a steady job as a PA in her husband's contract flooring business Jets had always dabbled in creative pursuits in her spare time, stimulated by her parents' creativity: her dad's a cabinetmaker and her mum had been into knitting and ceramics. She passed A-level Art and then began attending jewellery workshops.

'Years ago I used to design knitwear and sell it to family and friends, word of mouth. I've designed and made bead kits. They went down a storm in America.

'The trouble was I couldn't keep up with supply and demand – the same with designer knitwear. It was taking me so long to knit what I'd designed.

I've tried all sorts of things over the years but obviously children come along, bills come along, and you need to earn a living… but I've always tried on the side and I've always dreamt of being a designer.

Then Jets discovered beads, which were to become the inspiration for her jewellery range, Piglut. 'I incorporated beads into my knitwear and then thought it would be nice to have matching jewellery.

'I've never been one that likes what everyone else likes.

'I've always been one to change things slightly, so I learnt how to make clothes.'

Each piece that Jets makes is individually designed by her, and unique. 'Everything is my design. I make all the individual rings in the mediaeval mail chains that I do. The only thing I don't make is glass beads, gemstones - and I do buy silver beads if I like them and they fit in.'

The mediaeval-style chains are also the inspiration for the company name, Piglut.

Jets explains: 'In mediaeval times, when they made armour, the flat, pewter rings they used had little holes that the blacksmith would hammer a rivet through. The piglut is the hammer that he uses.'

Jets built her business slowly and steadily. 'It's been a steady gradual journey to where I am now, from doing it as a craft.' She began by taking stalls at weekend craft fairs, events she'd long admired. 'I was always in awe of craft fairs, from when I was a young girl: all these talented people. I used to wait in anticipation for the next one.'

And there was a sound business reason for beginning in this way: it allowed her to test the market. 'I needed to know that I had marketable goods, I needed to know that I could go on keeping that creativity, and it turned out quite well.'

Jets found attending craft fairs with her work was 'like opening your heart and soul'. 'I'd gone from being part-time, with people approaching me for my jewellery, to exhibiting my wares to people I really did not know. And she learnt that a negative comment from a passerby can really hurt. 'This strong individual becomes a quivering wreck because someone happens to say they didn't like a red bead!'

Her advice to any of you who may be looking for a career change is: 'don't “gonna”; do. Don't say the word try – do it. As soon as you say “gonna” or “I'm trying to”, you won't succeed. Get out there and do. If you've tried, and it fails, at least you've done it.'

When Jets is designing her delicate and complex jewellery, she works in quite a fluid, organic way.

'Each piece I do, nothing is planned, it just happens.'

Unusually, she also designs for visiting customers 'on the spot' in her workshop which she has converted from part of her home. 'I sit them in my living room, give them tea and coffee and chat to them as I'm working. Then they walk out with what they've chosen. It's great. Most of my customers say they've never had that "while you wait" experience. That's what they love.'

Jets showed her wares at craft fairs for two years, before embarking on supplying shops with her work this year.

She's realistic about the pressure involved in starting your own business. 'You've got to be positive and believe in yourself to have your own business. We all get knockbacks - the point is to get back up there and try again, which is what you do.' For her, the high point was at a prestigious show: 'I turned round, looked at my stand, all set up with everything on it I'd made, and I'd designed the stand as well and I thought "Wow! I can't believe this is mine". I think that moment made me realise that that's what I'd been trying to achieve for as far back as I can remember. I've never looked back since.'

Despite the pressure, she's never felt like giving up. 'I've had to re-establish or rearrange but I've never given in.

'Nobody has a smooth ride. Life's what you make it and I'm a great believer in that.'

As well as her own striong, determined nature, Jets also credits her family with helping her to achieve her dreams - 'my husband, Ian, especially. Without him and my daughter Kimberley, I wouldn't be here now. They've both backed me to the hilt. My sister has always been there with encouragement and she's also the person that tries out my designs so they don't fall apart when you do everything you do with a baby!'

Living her dream means Jets is enthusiastic about each new day, and bursting with energy to devote to her work. 'I'm so excited because I can't wait to get “making” (but you have to do the admin side too!). Each piece gives me inspiration and I love each one of them and I really do love making them. And even more so when someone picks it up and says, “I love that. I'm having it.” The buying of the beads is fantastic, putting them together, making the rings is very therapeutic, then knitting them together into a chain, it's all inspirational to me.

'I'm very lucky. I feel like I'm one of the very few people who wakes up each day and is happy. I know what it's like to have to do a job to make ends meet. I don't think you can value what you have unless you've had that experience of nine-to-five daily grind.'

You can see jewellery by Jets, and commission her, at www.piglut.co.uk

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