Agents must always be looking to invest and drive their businesses forward and shouldn’t allow success to make them complacent.
That was the message from Michelle Mone, founder of the Ultimo lingerie range and the motivational speaker at the UK Cruise Convention in Southampton.
In a session sponsored by e-Waterways, Mone told delegates about her rise from a tough start in life in the east end of Glasgow to her current position at the head of a £52 million business.
Stressing the importance of a positive attitude, she warned against assuming that one success would maintain a business, and told of how her company was left on the brink after a distributor disappeared with £1.6 million.
“I thought I was untouchable and my head was going up my backside,” she admitted.
“I didn’t move my business on, and if you launch a product or a service you have to immediately be thinking about what’s next.”
Ultimately, the business was saved, and Mone said she learned that it was crucial to continually innovate and also to “give something back” to good causes.
“My message is to follow your dream, think big and have a can-do attitude,” she added.