Case Study: Shauni Scholfield — Creating Her Own Destiny Through Elysium
Beauty Student | Joint 2nd Place, Start-Up 2025 | Founder of Elysium
When Shauni Scholfield first came to Borders College, she had one simple dream — to work as a beautician on cruise ships. After completing her Level 5 Beauty course, life took her in a different direction. She became a mum and put her career on hold for a few years.
But Shauni didn’t want to let her skills and effort go to waste. When she returned to college, she wasn’t chasing a job — she wanted to create something of her own.
“I never really dreamed about starting a business — I just knew I didn’t want to waste what I’d worked for. I wanted to create my own destiny.”
Shauni credits her lecturers, Liesa Hamilton and Jane Gray, for planting the seed and encouraging her to think seriously about opening her own beauty business. That’s when the idea for Elysium was born — a calming, welcoming beauty space focused on well-being and personalised care.
Although Shauni joined the Start-Up project late, she says it came at exactly the right time.
“Lee-Anne gave me that final boost of confidence. She didn’t just help with business plans and health & safety — she made me feel like I could actually do this.”
Shauni worried that, compared to the other students at the Start-Up final, her idea wasn’t big enough — but when she heard her name called as joint 2nd place, she was absolutely over the moon.
“I honestly never thought I’d place. I was buzzing! It was the last thing I expected.”
Shauni is now planning to use her prize money to explore creating her own range of holistic manicure and pedicure beauty products using fresh, raw ingredients — something that will make Elysium even more personal and unique.
🔧 Shauni’s Reflections on the Program:
- She wishes Start-Up had been promoted earlier — she would’ve loved to get involved sooner.
- More workshops or training outside college hours would really help students who are balancing parenting, study, and placements.
- Having support beyond the competition — especially in the first months of launching a business — would be valuable.
💬 Final Words from Shauni:
100% recommend Start-Up. Honestly. Go to everything, soak it all up, and enjoy every part of the process. Borders College didn’t just support me in class — they helped me believe in myself.
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