![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/i-grew-up-on-a-council-estate-built-a-5million-business-and-then-lost-it-all/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0_Angela-aged-8-infront-of-the-council-flats-where-she-lived-in-Glasgow-3.jpg&description=Angela McKillop and her husband Stephen grew up on council estates in Scotland but turned a successful home renovation into a business worth £5 million before it came crashing down One woman went from growing up on a council estate to building a £5 million business before it crumbled before her eyes. Angela McKillop, 42, grew up on council estates in Glasgow. It was there she met her husband Stephen McKillop, 43, in 1998, when she was 17 and studying childcare at college. In 2000, aged 20, she became a nursery teacher but quit and walked out after just two years, deciding to pursue a career in property. This was spurred by a successful home renovation project that would set Angela and Stephen off on a journey that would see them build up a £5 million business. However, after the loss of one key client, their company came crashing down around their ears - and they lost it all, leaving them forking out their own cash and in "crippling debt". Angela said: 'In 2002 we started our first project together. We were inspired by Sarah Beeny's TV show Property Ladder to buy a house, renovate it and sell it on for a profit. 'When we told friends and family we'd secured our first mortgage they thought we were crazy. 'I was only 23 but we sold it for £36,000 profit which paid for the next property. Working on our project houses also inspired a business idea. 'We realised there was a gap in the market for reliable tradespeople so we started a home improvements business in 2006. The same year we got married.' The business grew and new customers flocked to them, and in 2010 they secured a lucrative six figure contract for 14 kitchens and 21 bathrooms. Within just two years, they were also fitting out restaurants, a hotel, high end homes, and doing self builds. At their peak, they employed 29 people with a massive £5.1 million turnover. But then, in 2016, it all came abruptly crashing down. Angela said: 'We parted ways with a big client and we had made the mistake of not spreading th){kind=link}
Angela McKillop and her husband Stephen grew up on council estates in Scotland but turned a successful home renovation into a business worth £5 million before it came crashing down
One woman went from growing up on a council estate to building a £5 million business before it crumbled before her eyes.
Angela McKillop, 42, grew up on council estates in Glasgow.
It was there she met her husband Stephen McKillop, 43, in 1998, when she was 17 and studying childcare at college.
In 2000, aged 20, she became a nursery teacher but quit and walked out after just two years, deciding to pursue a career in property.