4 Girls Who Failed Their GCSEs Tell Us How They Found Success In Enterprise

THIS week millions of teenagers will get their GCSE outcomes. Some can be ecstatic but others face disappointment and may not know the place to show. But if your results aren’t what you had hoped, don’t despair. They aren't the be-all and finish-all, as these 4 girls show. They all struggled with exams but discovered success within the enterprise world through arduous work.

CLARE O’REILLY and LOUISA GREGSON learn the way they did it. JODINE BOOTHBY created teething mitten Gummee Glove, which is now sold in greater than 20 international locations. Jodine, 38, had 27 jobs in less than a decade, before beginning her enterprise empire. She lives with associate Steve, 41, son Jimmy, seven, and daughter Charlie, 5, in Calstock, Cornwall.

She says: I obtained my first part-time job as a Saturday lady at a hairdressers when I was 15. I struggled with confidence at college and rather than say I didn’t understand something, I’d muddle through pretending. After i acquired my GCSE results in 1995, I obtained a few Ds and the remaining had been Fs and Us.

My parents had to plead with the college to let me stay on for an NVQ in enterprise, which I also failed. I started a journey and tourism course the following year however dropped out after six months. Aged 19, I began working for a financial institution within the cheque-processing centre and from there had jobs in pubs, at a food preparation wholesaler, fruit selecting and as a chambermaid. I had no duties so it didn’t matter that I flitted from job to job. I received a job crimping pasties on a manufacturing unit manufacturing line and loved it however in 2011 when i went on maternity depart, I needed a job that let me be dwelling with Jimmy.

That’s when i came up with the idea for Gummee Glove, which helps with babies’ teething. I made trial ones which I gave to buddies after ploughing what little savings we had into it, borrowing cash from household and promoting jewellery. That was seven years in the past and we now flip over £500,000 a year.

I didn’t count on the success and whereas it’s been a troublesome seven years - with plenty of arduous work and loads of sleepless nights - I’ve surprised myself in so many ways. I thought I used to be bad at learning yet I’ve taught myself internet design, advertising and social media management. I remember the disappointment of my exam results. But my recommendation can be to cease, take stock and realise there are other paths to success than academia. VIKKI THOMAS, 44, from Hereford, left school at 15 with one GCSE, however now owns or half-owns five firms, having started them from scratch.

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She says: My dad and mom got divorced when I was in secondary school and that i ended up living by myself at 16. I went to catering school and labored in inns, however the unsociable hours made me desire a change. Despite having only one GCSE, I got a job as an operations manager for a national contract cleaning firm.

I ultimately grew to become chargeable for greater than 500 employees. I had my son James in 2001 and went back after maternity leave, but after i had Alisha in 2003 I decided I wanted to do something for myself to secure my family’s future . I borrowed sufficient cash to put money into a small property, do it up and rent it out.

Inside the next few years my property portfolio grew. I was then accepted as a mature scholar to do a degree in Commercial Property Administration at Bristol University. It was an hour and a half commute for lectures, which was tough combining it with the college runs, however I obtained a primary-class honours and trained as a chartered surveyor. Having juggled it all with younger children and a husband within the Army serving in Afghanistan I grew to become more focused on private growth.