In the press

Woman Magazine - 9th April 2007

Look at me now

From city high-flyer to DIY diva - Investment banker Kerrie Keeling swapped high finance for a toolbox and a white van.

'I'm in so much debt,' I told my older brother Sean during my third year at University. 'With loans, living costs and overdrafts, I must owe about £10,000.' I still had a year of my business studies degree to go, and worried how much more debt I'd rack up. Sean, a banker, advised me to get a summer job in a bank because it was so well paid. I applied to 100 banks and got an offer from one of the most prestigious banks in London. The pay was fantastic, not quite enough to clear my £10,000 debt but it went a long way. My job was mainly administration for the City traders. I must have impressed them because I was offered a full time job with a starting salary of £25,000 when I finished my degree. It was a huge weight off my mind -  no more existing on toast and baked beans and suddenly my bank manager was talking to me.

I started in 1996 and quickly realised the atmosphere was aggressive, sexist and often bullying. It was a male dominated environment and I suffered the brunt of that, being both a woman and a junior. I'd get sexist, leering comments and when my male colleagues socialised at strip clubs, I wasn't invited, not that I wanted to go. I chose to develop a thick skin because I loved the challenging, fast-paced work and saw the financial prospects. I was processing deals from Asia, London and New York worth millions and millions of pounds. But while I was in what was called the 'back office' my sights were set on the real trading floor. 'Front office' workers were the ones who made the really big money and received huge bonuses. After a three month training programme in New York, during which time I stayed in a luxury apartment suite overlooking Central Park, a rival bank offered me the promotion I'd been waiting for in 2001 - front office. In a year I made about £10 million for the bank. It was a huge adrenaline rush at first, but before long I didn't even see the noughts. My salary was about £65,000 and I could make the same again in bonuses.

My partner Neil and I dined at top London restaurants, drank expensive vintage wines, and enjoyed several scuba diving holidays a year. I also bought a flat in London, which I decorated myself. I'd always enjoyed DIY, helping my dad as a girl. As a result I was very handy, and friends couldn't believe what a great job I'd done. But I did have a couple of bad experiences with professional workmen - one tile cutter worked in my living room without putting a dust sheet down, covering everything in a thick layer of dust. When I complained, I was treated like an idiot. The seed of an idea was sown then as I realised there was a gap in the market for a decorator who respected people's homes and did a good job. Meanwhile at work, I was getting fed up with the atmosphere and how bosses pitted colleagues against each other to encourage competition. I was told to wear a shorter skirt and undo a couple of shirt buttons to 'work my feminine wiles'.

The business jargon was really grating on my nerves too. We were told to target 'low hanging fruit', 'shift the goalposts' and, worst of all, 'get pregnant with an idea'. I found the last one offensive. My boss would email me assignments on Sunday afternoon to complete by Monday morning. When I did get time off, I was so exhausted I felt brain-dead. I was beating my targets, though, and in March 2003 was promoted again with yet another increase in salary. It had been my professional goal, but I realised it was no longer what I wanted and so just a week later I resigned. My career options came down to scuba-diving instructor or painter/decorator. There was more demand for the latter in London so, armed with my dad's trusty toolbox, I launched my business, A Woman's Touch.

The drastic drop from whopping salary to no salary at all was scary at first. To save money, Neil and I stopped eating meat, buying wine and eating out. I invested in a white van as the business took on a life of it's own. At first I worked even longer hours than I did at the bank, but I loved being out and about in the van and painting and decorating. One of my first customers was a former boss and she recommended me to more people. Eventually, I took on another girl, then another, and another. Now I employ 20 people and have plans to expand the business. Banking was a great experience, and the money was fantastic, but now I've discovered another side of life, I wouldn't ever go back."