Michelle Mone Interview - Michelle Mone's Top 10 Rules For Success (@MichelleMone)

She's a British entrepreneur and leader. She co-founded the lingerie company Ultimo and the fake tanning company U-Tan. She has an estimated net worth of $60 million. She's Michelle Moan, and here are her top 10 rules for success.

I think that I watched all my friends' mums and dads getting made redundant, and I thought, I want to be in charge of a company and I want to make people's lives happy instead of always making them worry at Christmas time, am I going to have a job to buy toys for my kids? And I thought, you know, it doesn't matter, excuse me, if you're born into royalty or you're born into money. I'm going to show people that, you know, someone from the East End who hasn't done well at school can still make something of their lives, you know. It doesn't mean to say that you're from the East End of Glasgow that you're going to be a drug user and you're going to be just no good at anything. I wanted to show people that, you know, we are all human beings and it doesn't matter where we're born, where we're brought up, how much money our families have got, you can make something of your life because you're in charge of your life. And I think that's what drives me.

I just think that, you know, my mum and dad brought me up and taught me to have respect for anyone no matter if you're you're the Queen or you empty the bins, and everyone is special. And I think that just to appreciate life and never think in negative ways because negative things will happen. If you want to achieve something, write down your goals, and if it doesn't work out, it's your own fault.

I agree.

So get out there and do it. Do it, right? You've got to do something that makes you passionate, that makes you tick, that makes you get up in the morning, that makes you get 2 hours sleep a night if you have to. Yeah, like I did last night. I would say to him, make sure that you're doing something because you only live once. Yeah. And that you will know what makes you happy inside and go with that. And then it's a case of you've got to, you know, put whatever in that it takes to get it done.

My mum and dad always taught me when I was growing up that you treat people how you want treated yourself. And I think that's the best thing that they ever taught me. Because I never treat people badly and unfairly. I always treat them with respect, and that's, you know, I think that's how I've got such a fantastic team round about me. They really are all enthusiastic and determined.

If you've got that idea, you know, it's all about believing in yourself. First of all, if you've got the confidence and you believe it and you know in your heart I can do this. That's all it really takes. Then the other things come, the business plan, the financing of it, the idea, where you're going to manufacture, or if it's a service that you're going to provide. All of these things come, but first of all, you've got to believe in yourself. You've got to want to do it. If you don't want to do it, don't even start it. You've got to go out there and you've got to approach people. Don't ever sit there and wait for someone to come to you, because I'll tell you, it will never happen. You've got to look for your own opportunities and you've got to say, this is This is what I want to do, therefore who's your customers, you know, what markets you want to go into, who's your competitors, writing a really strong business plan as well.

What keeps my feet firmly on the ground is that, you know, I have at the back of my mind that I could lose it all tomorrow, and you know, you should never get too big for your boots, and I'm doing this not just for my family, but I'm doing it to help others as well, because I want to help people who are, you know, not as fortunate as I am in the places that I was brought up in, because I know what poverty is, you know. I've been at one end of the stick to the other. I've been there where you don't have any money and you don't have a bath and all the rest of it. And I've been partying on boats with Richard Branson and famous singers and actresses. And, you know, so I know what both sides of life are, and I just want to help others as much as I can.

I think, you know, I've always thought this way: fail to plan, plan to fail. And I'm always a planner. I always create lists. I always carry a book in my bag, what I need to do today, both personally and both in business. And I stay focused on that list, and I try and tick every single bit off. And if I don't, you know, I'm not Superwoman. I've got 3 children, um, I'm not the best businesswomen on the planet, but I just try my best. And if I don't manage to do anything on the list, then I take it forward to the next day. I fight every single day in business. I am so determined. I start new ideas every single week. And I think what drives me— it used to, don't get me wrong, money used to drive me. But then when you pass by some of these, you know, goals that you achieve, it goes on to another level. And it's weird to explain it. It's hard to explain it, but I think it's a fear of failure that keeps me going and always wanting to make a difference for my customers, always wanting to give them the best fit, the best quality. And you know, I've just started up Ultimo Beauty, Ultimo U Tan, worked on our new tanning products, no streak, no smell of biscuits, etc. It's launched in Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, it's launched all all over, and I just love the challenge. And, um, you know, I try and keep it real. I do my best to keep it real because you know what, there's another bigger boat in the sea, much bigger than me. And I still, still believe that I have not made it yet. I don't believe I've made it yet. I always had a dream, and my dream was to be big in business. And I always, always believe that it doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter what background you have, it doesn't matter education, you know, you've got to try your best. But in my situation, it wasn't for me. So I left school at 15 with a dream, and I always, always think big. You should always think big in life. Never ever think that you can't make it because others out there are better than you. You're just as good as anyone else.

Thank you so much for watching. I made this video because Twiggy Monet asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave it in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of Michelle's top 10 rules had the biggest impact on you. Leave it in the comments and I will join in the discussion. Thank you so much for watching. Continue to believe and I'll see you soon.