Carolann Carlile - 2011 Mentor

With the help of The Prince's Trust and its mentoring scheme, Carolann Carlile turned a hobby into a local business. Now she has a thriving cafe and bakery, The Cupcake, in Dungiven Northern Ireland

With the help of The Prince's Trust and its mentoring scheme, Carolann Carlile turned a hobby into a local business. Now she has a thriving cafe and bakery, The Cupcake, in Dungiven Northern Ireland.

We caught up to talk inspiration and her own experiences of mentoring.

What fired your ambition? Baking was always my favourite hobby – I find it very therapeutic and enjoy the results.There’s very little homebaking in this area, so after months of market research and putting together a viable business plan, we launched The Cupcake.

MEET THE REST OF THE 2011 MENTORS HERE What’s been a career high? The fact that The Cupcake is up and running is itself a massive success. I can’t believe we are already celebrating our first anniversary!

What’s the best careers advice that you’ve been given? I was lucky enough to be mentored with The Prince's Trust and realised the importance of research and training. With my grant, I was able to speak to local businesses and banks and take on board their advice.

WANT TO BE MENTORED? CLICK HERE

OR JOIN THE CAMPAIGN AND BECOME A MARIE CLAIRE MENTOR, HERE