Brow Bible Academy founder shares how she battled cancer

2022-10-09

How a young mum who beat cancer at just 21 built a million-dollar business and launched a beauty product that turns over $30k a week

Jade Cook is the founder behind beauty empire Brow Bible Academy
But the last decade has pushed the 31-year-old mum to her limits
At just 21 she was diagnosed with cancer after finding a lump on her left thigh
At the time she moved from the UK to Australia and had no family support
She was also the victim of a visa scam, but pushed through it all
In 2015, she launched what would be a seven-figure beauty salon business
Now she lives in Dubai with her family, aiming to expand her online brand

In just 10 years, Jade Cook has overcome cancer, dealt with a visa scam, built a seven-figure business and launched a sell-out brow product.

The now 31-year-old mum moved from England to Australia in 2012 after working as a beauty therapist on cruise ships but was left thousands of dollars out of pocket due to an immigration visa scam.

The following year, at the age of 21, she was diagnosed with cancer sarcoma after noticing a pea-sized lump on her left thigh that was first deemed to be a cyst of no concern.

‘It felt like I hit rock bottom – I was alone in Cairns, I had no family support but knew I needed to push through,’ Jade told FEMAIL.

She is now the founder of her second business, Brow Bible Academy, offering online beauty courses and products.

Jade Cook (pictured, right) is a fighter – she was diagnosed with cancer at 21, was the victim of a visa scam and is the founder of a seven-figure beauty business

Jade moved from England to Australia in December 2012 then was diagnosed with the cancerous sarcoma in February. She noticed a pea-sized lump on her left thigh that was first deemed to be a cyst of no concern

‘I was working on a cruise ship when I noticed the lump was growing, had it checked onboard and was told to wait until I was back on shore. Then had it checked again and doctors thought it was just a cyst,’ Jade said.

‘Multiple doctors said just to leave it alone and see if it goes away – but I was pretty angry when I found out what it really was.’

Jade moved her life Down Under in December 2012 and was then given the devastating prognosis two months later.

Between when she first noticed the lump in October 2012 and receiving the prognosis, it had grown ‘from a pea-size to a mini golf ball’ and started throbbing.

She recalled people trying to convince her to move back to England, but being independent and high-spirited she was determined to find a way to stay in Australia.

Jade had to wait five months for surgery – the entire time fearful the cancer would spread.

Unfortunately, as doctors determined the cancer to be a sarcoma, there was no explanation as to why it occurred.

What is a sarcoma and what causes it?

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can occur in different parts of the body

Scientists don’t know exactly what causes most soft tissue sarcomas, but they have found some risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop these cancers

Source: cancer.org

She started radiotherapy in October, 2012, once the wounds from surgery healed.

‘One of the hardest things to go through physically was the radiation – it’s like someone has a blowtorch to your leg – and I had it Monday to Friday everyday for six weeks,’ Jade said.

‘It’s like they were burning my leg and increased the intensity as I went through the treatment. Initially it just felt like sunburn then it felt more painful.’

She slept without a doona and doctors didn’t recommend putting bandages on her leg because the skin was so sensitive it would just ‘peel off’.

The side-effects from the radiation got so bad she couldn’t walk or work for a whole month.

Believing ‘everything happens for a reason’, Jade then started a new job in the beauty industry working as a brow specialist – which ultimately led to her current successful business ventures

In 2015 she opened her own salon, eventually hired eight staff members then opened a second salon in Cairns with 14 employees. She had the salons for seven years before pivoting into the e-commerce side of business with Brow Bible Academy offering online beauty therapy courses and beauty products

Believing ‘everything happens for a reason’, Jade then started a new job in the beauty industry working as a brow specialist – which ultimately led to her current successful business ventures.

‘I was so intrigued about how to make money from brow treatments so I started working at a salon and I absolutely loved it,’ she said.

Three years later, in 2015, she moved to the Sunshine Coast with her now-husband and built her own brow salon business from the ground up.

‘I always had the desire to open my own business and felt like it was the perfect time because there wasn’t a lot of competition, so I rented a space and was completely booked out after five months,’ she said.

From there she opened her own salon, eventually hired eight staff members then opened a second salon in Cairns with 14 employees.

She had the salons for seven years before pivoting into the e-commerce side of business with Brow Bible Academy offering online beauty therapy courses and beauty products.

By 2020, when Covid hit and millions of people were forced into their homes, the brand was turning over $30,000 in one week.

The latest product, the Lift & Lock (pictured) that offers a brow ‘lamination’ effect, turned over $100,000 in six months and has sold out three times

The product ‘locks’ eyebrow hairs in place for hours on end

It was at this time Jade also became pregnant with her son, so she threw her energies into her e-commerce business and sold the two salons.

‘I wanted the flexibility to work from home and be with my baby rather at a salon on my feet all day,’ she said.

She had also grown the salons into a seven-figure business and felt selling was the ‘right thing to do’.

The latest product, the Lift & Lock that offers a brow ‘lamination’ effect, turned over $100,000 in six months and has sold out three times.

Jade has now relocated with her family to Dubai with hopes to expand the business further internationally.

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