The Story of Stephanie Anne Lloyd
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The next few months were as difficult as they could be. With the support of just a few close friends, Stephanie struggled to survive. The once-affluent marketing director was not only unemployed, but virtually unemployable. Thanks to the Daily Mirror, she was regarded as a freak.
It was during those dark days that Stephanie took stock of her situation. She wasn't ready for a life on the dole, she needed to occupy her business brain to keep her sanity. And if no one else would employ her, she would have to set up on her own.
At that time there were no businesses in the UK catering openly and exclusively for the needs of the transgendered community. Stephanie knew that there should be - she had experienced the isolation, loneliness and confusion that had almost driven her to suicide. If she could help others along the way to actually enjoying their femininity, rather than fearing it, and at the same time make a living for herself it seemed the perfect solution.
Her enthusiasm for the project was infectious and she soon gained the support of the brother of her beautician, who was looking for a business to invest in. The brother, Raiko Ristic, could also offer sales expertise to complement her marketing skills and together they believed they could make it work. Although Raiko's financial backing was enough for them to consider opening a retail shop, they needed more investment if they were to realise all of Stephanie's plan. She wanted transvestites who couldn't get to the shop to be able to buy what they needed through mail order.
Even more radically, she wanted to open Europe's very first TV beauty parlour, where we could not only buy wigs and cosmetics, but also be taught how to use them. A Transformation service is now almost taken for granted, but it was revolutionary in its time.
This was were David Booth entered the equation. David, a no-nonsense Northerner with a keen business sense and quick sense of humour, had answered her advert for backers in the Manchester Evening News. He and Stephanie hit it off from the start and have continued to do so - they are now husband and wife.
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Related categories: True Life Stories
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