It’s often said that entrepreneurs have got something to prove and I think I fit that category. I’m the youngest in my family and most of my siblings were really academic, but I wasn’t. I found school quite challenging, and I either respected the teacher and took to the subject, or I just couldn’t see the point.
I went to convent school in Wales. I didn’t particularly respect their petty rules. One was that we had to eat all the stale bread before we were allowed to eat the fresh loaves. So, we never ate fresh bread, and, even at the age of 11, I could see that there was a problem with the supply and demand. I tried to explain that they should just stop buying bread for a day, but I was accused of being cheeky.
One Christmas we were given a project of making toys for children in Africa, and I loved it. I found I was good at sewing and designing, and while most of my school mates just made one toy, I made 10. I realised they were a commodity that could be sold. Suddenly, I didn’t have to be the one who was always getting into trouble. I was actually really good at something. My parents bought me a sewing machine, which I still have, and I started making clothes for friends.
I set up my first proper enterprise when I was still in my teens – a menswear business called Distinctive Silks. I later travelled to the Middle East and India to source the best materials. I went out for three months, but I ended up staying away for nearly two years.
When I came home I was determined to start a fashion company, but decided to get some industry experience first. So, I wrote to every British manufacturer/retailer I could think of. I was offered a job as a retail manager at Aquascutum, and spent 18 months driving the HR department mad. Each time I got the gist of a role and sorted out a department, I needed a new challenge.
At 23, I tried to set up my own fashion company, but I couldn’t get backing from the banks, which told me to get a private investor. I didn’t want to give up control of my business, so I moved into property, spotting a gap in the market for helping people buy holiday homes in France. It was quite successful and after two years I sold the business, making about £50,000. It was enough to get started and by then a bank was prepared to match my investment.
I decided to launch via mail order and there was a gap in the market for a fashionable collection for pregnant women, which didn’t look like maternity wear. Also, while I’d been in France, I’d seen how French nautical children styles were really sweet, but practical too. This proved to be the inspiration for JoJo Maman Bébé, the £19m-turnover business that I still own.