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with Kathleen Mundy W e learn many lessons from the those who blaze the trail before us. I for one, will be forever grateful for the many lessons my entrepreneurial Grandparents taught me. Over the years of being in business for myself I learned this…it’s so much easier if you have someone to work with who has gone before you. I did have the lessons my Grandmother taught me. She had the notion that a woman needs to be independent and should make her own money – a pretty radical idea for someone born at the turn of the last century. My Grandfather also provided me with a terrific role model as a successful entrepreneur. I learned the most important element from him at the age of eight, his “Money Mindset” which I now teach to others helped me understand the relationship money should have in your life. Sadly I lost my Grandfather long before I started my first business and because he wasn’t there to teach me what I needed to know, I made a million mistakes. But one thing I learned was…building a business is like building a Machine or an automobile. You can build one that will be in the shop for repairs every week, or you can build one that James Bond would drive. Sleek, efficient, the bomb! Which one would you want to drive? As my life evolved and I started a family it seemed an elusive dream to carry on the family legacy until the day I found myself facing one of the biggest challenges in my life. I became a single parent. I found myself with no job, no home and no self-esteem. After losing everything, including my career through a divorce, I was left to rebuild a life for myself and support my daughter. After spending some years at a job working for others and just paying the bills, I knew I had to do something for our future. So I took a small investment and turned it into a multi-million dollar company in 5 years. It was not easy, but it was simple. Just do whatever it takes, and learn from those around you. There were times when I wondered if I had made the right decision; there were times when I doubted myself on every front. However it was the thought of those who relied on me for their livelihood that gave me the motivation to put my head down and get through each challenge. Motivational books, tapes and anything else I could find helped me stay on course. If I had’t regained my self-esteem, I shudder to think of where I’d be today. I remembered what my life was like before I started my company, when I needed a job and had a daughter to support, and so I pushed forward. As my company grew, I taught my mangers to believe in themselves, how to think like an owner, how to read a Profit and Loss statement and to watch the bottom line. Now I have devoted my intentions to working with Women (and really smart men) to do the same. I believe you can gain independence through entrepreneurship building your future, YOUR MACHINE and teach one of the best life lessons – hard work – to your children, all at the same time. I did. You can. Now let’s get started on your future! n LONDON BUSINESS PROFILE Making your own Money VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 2 | yourBusiness Online 51