Michelle Mone

MJM has developed a range of lingerie brands which have attracted the attention of international celebrities and the general public alike. What began with the Ultimo bra now extends to a number of very successful lingerie brands. Everything Michelle does stems from her ethos of hard work and listening to her customer’s needs.

“I built my successful career on an incredibly simple concept: giving today’s women
what they want. Everything I do stems from my ethos of hard work and listening to my customer’s needs. I left school at 15 with no qualifications due to the illness of a close family member and then spent a number of years successfully modeling in Glasgow before going on to work for Labatts Brewers in my home town.

It’s easy to let life’s obstacles stand in the way of your success instead of seeing every experience as something to learn from. Girls! Make Your Mark is a brilliant concept that encourages more young women and girls to make the most of the opportunities available to them but more than that to inspire the confidence to go out there and start their own businesses.

The UK business start up market suffers from a serious gender gap and we need to close this to increase our productivity to match the equivalent markets in America.”

Michelle’s top tips for reaching the top are:

• Thoroughly research your market place and your competitors
• Know your product inside out
• Prepare a business plan and get sufficient funding in place before the start
• Keep focused on your target, remain determined and don’t lose sight of your goal
• Find yourself a mentor who’ll listen and act on advice given
• Keep tight control on your costs and don’t over spend
• Employ knowledgeable and hard working staff to help you – you can’t do it alone
• Be prepared to take criticism and remember it’s not all going to be plain sailing
• When in a position to do so, try to give something back