You are an Inspiration!: Inspiring Women - Chapter 1

I meet and read about so many inspiring female entrepreneurs on my day to day travels so thought I’d dedicate a blog every fortnight to share with you some of these women I come across and their amazing stories!!!

This week as we prepare for London Fashion Week, I would like to highlight two women who have made an outstanding contribution to the UK fashion industry. They are:

Michelle Mone – Ultimo Bra Range Founder and
Angel Smith – Shoe Lagoon Founder

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Michelle Mone – Ultimo Bra Range Founder

What happens when you have only 4 weeks to go before you launch your business and you run out of cash? Do you keep going? Do you give up? You are already in a lot of debt so where do you go from here? Michelle Mone is one lady that knows all about that and thankfully luck was on her side. After running out of cash just 1 month before the launch of her Ultimo Bra Range she managed to sell a 20% sake of her business to a Scottish Entrepreneur. She stresses if that investment hadn’t come through she would have gone down under as she was already in debts of £300,000.

So how did she get her brand out there?

With zero experience and a lack of contact, Michelle was determined to somehow get everyone out there talking about the Ultimo range, so in order to stir interest she sent out 500 free samples to celebrities and their stylists which was a huge risk that eventually paid off. Julia Roberts was seen in the Ultimo bra in her high profile movie Erin Brockovich which resulted in 6 weeks of stock being sold within 24 hrs. I know you must be thinking “Wow”!!! This is a true example of how perseverance, determination, passion and faith can get you anywhere in life!!

Angel Smith – Director of Shoe Lagoon
She came up with idea and concept back in 2004 and in 2006 after thorough research, young & beautiful entrepreneur Angel Smith Launched the ultimate luxurious e-boutique for those looking for comfortable sexy footwear – Shoe Lagoon was born!.

After the frustrations and stress of High Street shopping, Angel Smith created Shoe Lagoon to not just ease the process of trawling through dozens of shops but to be able to shop for quality, unique goods at the comfort of your own home or workplace.

Last year Shoe Lagoon won ‘Best Online Business’ at the Precious Awards.

To view the full merchandise range Shoe Lagoon offer visit - www.shoelagoon.com

Ladies do you have a business story to share? Email me with details at info@lovegenevieve.co.uk

Bye , Bye Until Next Time xxx