Shiply dancer Olivia Thompson always wanted to be a dance teacher, but she didn't find her place at school and left without GCSES.
A week after turning 18, she became a business owner at Livicated Dance School and rented a small room at Warrior Martial Arts.
A year later, Olivia's dance school has its own facility on Idol Road, teaching over 70 students, between the ages of 16 months and 16.
Speaking about running her own business, she said: “It's ten times better (than school). I'm very independent.
“My mother said she didn't know where I would fit in the world. She always told me, 'You'll need to be your own boss.'
“I danced since I was on and off for years. I always wanted to be a dance teacher.
“We opened and started with warrior martial arts. For how many children we grew up – I was saying, 'We'll have to change venues.'
In the end something came up.
Olivia said:
“When we first opened, we had a considerable amount of interest that I wasn’t expecting, and as I was on the way, it got a lot bigger.
“We started with 24 dancers, and now we have over 70. It's amazing to do that within a year.
“I'm proud of them and I look at them happily. We're making our dreams come true for our children.
“We have about four competitions now, and we have been able to win each place.
“The first competition we had was a championship that none of us expected. It's been going very well.”
Speaking about her student days and GCSE, she said: We still had a home tutor who we had. She was part of getting qualified (for dance).
“Grade does not define you.
“I tried another school. We tried college. We tried specialist settings too. None of them worked.”
In her message to other young people, Olivia said:
Speaking about her daughter's achievements, Mama Sarah said: An opportunity was born and we had to do it. Sometimes you need to take risks in life to get where you want to be.
“If you have a vision and dream, no matter what you need to do, you don't have to take a step. If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you too.”
