For years, Lydia Fisher worked in salons and scrimped pennies, saving to open her own hair and cosmetics salon. But her vision for what would become Mirror Image Cosmetics Company, in Milford, Massachusetts, was put in jeopardy by a family emergency. Lydia donated a kidney to her ailing fiancé, but a long and complicated recovery left her out of work. She used up her savings during her recovery, and began to sink into debt.

A business planning class at the Center for Women & Enterprise in Worcester helped Lydia turn around a dire situation. As she gained confidence and financial skills, Lydia delved further into accounting and human resources through CWE programs. By cleaning up her finances she was able to secure a small loan, and opened Mirror Image in the summer of 2002.

Since opening her business, Lydia has hired another full-time employee and increased her household income substantially. In addition, she has paid off her debt and increased her savings. Lydia says that she feels “grounded having CWE on my side.” She declares that CWE has been “the greatest support team any women in business needs.” She’s proud that she built her business with her own “blood, sweat and tears,” and says, “all my hard work is worth it – the business is mine!”

You can contact Lydia Fisher and Mirror Image at: (508) 422-9355.

Photo credit: Len Rubenstein Photography