A mum abandoned her teaching career to start a successful business – selling rude games online for HEN DOS.
Hannah Daragon, 36, left behind her job as an drama and English teacher after she gave birth to her son.
Despite battling a chronic bowel disease at the time, she drew on her previous e-commerce experience to set up Hannah’s Games which specialises in selling rude games for raucous nights out.
She said: “I sell a range of hand held hen do games, Christmas games, and soon I’ll be doing baby shower games.
“They are a bit of fun for a night out, the idea is you can pop them in your pocket and get them out where ever you are.
“One of my best games is an innuendo game, describing totally clean items in a rude way – for example, what is long and hard and helps you get up? A ladder.
“I was wasted in teaching really with my mind. I make the games up myself, I have a two year old now so I don’t go out as much as I use to.
“It’s just little things to bring people together, yes we could just go for a night out, but why not have a game and a giggle and bring everyone together.
“I also have ‘I have Never’ games, quiz games, a really nice ice breaker game called ‘Pass the Rhyme’.
“I’ve had such a lovely reaction from people who I’ve never met and I feel like I’ve been a part of their night out.”
Hannah, of Plymouth, Devon, says that is she hadn’t been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and been told by the school that she couldn’t lead and be a mum, she would never have started this business.
She added: “I was at that point in my life where everyone I knew was getting married. Every time I went to a hen do I’d bring a game.
“Some groups were outrageous so I’d bring some really filthy games in and there’d be other groups with grandmothers and I’d have a little poem game instead.
“I had them all on computer so I thought I’d print them out and sell them on eBay.”
The cards started selling but Hannah was still ill at the time, and preparing the games for sale was a real struggle.
But Hannah was determined and the act of preparing them, cutting them and getting them to the postbox kept Hannah going.
“I had to post them because I had made that commitment,” Hannah added.
“Even if you’re walking slowly it’s good to get out of the house. The post box was my limit and I’d be exhausted.
“As I got stronger I could do more and more and it was totally integral to my recovery.
“I’m super proud of it because I feel a bit like: ‘leadership and motherhood don’t mix’ and now I lead a business from home.
“I don’t take phone calls or do any business on Tuesdays or Thursday – those are my son’s days. I do feel vindicated in the decision I made to leave.”
Hannah’s story was so inspiring she was recently given the Inspiration Award in eBay’s National Business Awards.
During her acceptance speech, Hannah donned a pair of grubby old slippers to represent the reality of battling chronic illness.