Health blow for mum who left school at 15 and built multi-million pound business
A mum who left school at 15 and then launched a multi-million-pound business while pregnant believes her passion for work will help her beat cancer.
Kirsty Gale, 43, from Lincoln, founded celebrity favourite fashion brand Red Carpet Ready – the largest prom and evening wear retailer in the UK. Kirsty lives in Lincoln with her husband and their 11-year-old daughter and will start radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer this month.
Despite the devastating health blow, she says she won't be giving up her business duties any time soon - and was straight back in the office within 24 hours of her lumpectomy. Kirsty said: “Being told I have cancer was devastating and I was worried about the future as I have a 11-year-old daughter who needs her mum, as well as a business to run, but I am determined not to let it defeat me. Despite having cancer, I don’t plan to slow down any time soon."
Kirsty gained her amazing work ethic after leaving school at 15 (Supplied)
The mum says she has 'given up her life' to be where she is today (Supplied)"If you want it to be a success, you need 100% dedication - it’s not nine till five. I have literally given up my life to be where I am now, but it was never a job for me, and it still isn't; it's part of my DNA. That's why within 24 hours of having the lumpectomy I was back in the office.
"I’ve just designed our new collection and we’re gearing up for what is set to be our busiest year to date, but obviously the cancer diagnosis is always in the back of my mind. It’s been a particularly tough few months following my diagnosis, but running a business is never easy and every year comes with its own challenges.
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Kirsty says she gained her amazing work ethic after leaving school at 15. She said: "I've always worked, from the age of 13 I was serving fish and chips behind the counter. Then by the time I was 15 I'd moved out of the family home and I was the manager of a big cafe. I had six staff working for me. It wouldn't be allowed now but I loved the responsibility. I used to bike three miles to go to work and open up at 7 in the morning. Working and earning my own money has always been a driver for me.
"Leaving home at 15 and being left to my own devices made me very independent. I've always been very driven and found opportunities to earn my own money, partly because that’s always been in me, but partly because of my circumstances. My parents were great, they moved and I didn't want to follow so I got a flat share. When you are successful people assume you lived at home and it was all glossy and then you go to university but that's not how things worked out for me."
Kirsty's dresses have been worn by many famous faces - including TV personality Scarlett Moffat (PA)
Strictly star Saffron Barker is also a fan of Kirsty's designs (WireImage)Kirsty says her teachers would probably be shocked to hear she now runs a multi-million-pound business because she was a "livewire" and didn't find the school system to be a match for her energy and talent. She said: "I've always been very confident and had the kind of personality that would make things happen, but I wasn't very academic. Sitting in a classroom reading textbooks all day just wasn't me. I was a livewire and more interested in working and spotting opportunities to earn money.
"School was a closed, hierarchical environment and I wasn’t very keen on being told what to do. Maths was also my weakest subject so my teachers probably wouldn’t have thought I would go on to own a multi-million-pound company, but I am proof that you don’t need to be a mathematician to run a business. You don’t always need to follow the traditional routes - it’s more important to focus on what drives you personally and what makes you flourish", she added.
After leaving school and her management role at the cafe Kirsty trained to work as an executive PA. Soon she was working for leadership teams at global corporations. Over the years she progressed to managerial and directorial positions, specialising in operations, logistics, sales and customer experience
She said: "I've always started at the bottom and worked my way up the ladder to manager or director level. Being an executive PA taught me a lot about running a business as I was working alongside MDs and CEOs who were gradually giving me more and more responsibility.
"Then in 2012 I was invited to go shopping with a friend because her daughter needed a prom dress - they were clueless but I loved fashion and shopping so they asked me along. We drove all over the UK but our experience in every shop was disappointing to say the least. The customer service was terrible, and they were advertising products that weren't even in stock.
Kirsty's dresses are regularly the favourite choice for evening wear by celebrities (Supplied)"I knew there was a huge market as nearly every school has a prom, so that's when I came up with the idea for Red Carpet Ready. My vision was to have the biggest range of dresses, in every size, to suit every budget so that people wouldn’t experience the same disappointment we had, regardless of what they were looking for. I wanted to make it a fun day out for the whole family and offer a really personalised service that our customers would remember for years to come - for all the right reasons."
She launched Red Carpet Ready in June 2013 and now Kirsty's company has 3,500 styles of dress available in five luxury showrooms near Lincoln. Kirsty's dresses are regularly the favourite choice for evening wear by celebrities, public figures, influencers, pageant contestants and household names. Renowned figures wearing their dresses include Penny Lancaster, Scarlett Moffatt, Olivia Attwood and England footballer Jess Carter.
Kirsty added: "I haven’t got a degree in fashion, but I know what our customers want. If you’ve got an eye for something and a passion, it is possible to be successful without necessarily having all the right qualifications. We make the highest quality products which are totally unique and accessible for everyone regardless of their budget. We don't sell to any other shops and we offer a prom promise that we won't sell the same to anyone at the same school, not even in a different colour. Our sizes range from 0 to 32."
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Kirsty's company has 3,500 styles of dress available in five luxury showrooms (Supplied)After taking a break for Christmas and New Year Kirsty says she is ready to start 2024 with a determined attitude in business and for her health. She said: "The operation I had in October 2023 was successful and I’m now preparing for an intensive three-week course of radiotherapy starting on 15th January. I didn't really know much about cancer, and I still don't, but I'm learning as I go. Potentially my breast will be deformed which is upsetting and the recovery time is at least six months but I’m a very determined person and I’m taking it one step at a time.
"Red Carpet Ready has recently acquired a new distribution centre. We’re also looking at enhancing our technology and investing in scanning and new stock systems. This is the first phase of our ambitious plans for growth and I’m looking forward to seeing those plans come to fruition.
Despite difficult trading conditions with the cost of livingcrisis and sky rocketing importation costs Kirsty's company is on track to achieve a record turnover of £1.6m this year and in December she was named Businessperson of the Year in the SME National Business Awards which was sponsored by Quatar Airways, The Business Show, Global and Wembley Stadium.
Kirsty said: "I was absolutely thrilled to win Businessperson of the Year as it’s been a really tough year for me personally and I was up against some of the UK’s top male and female entrepreneurs. Despite facing further treatment I’m full of optimism for 2024 and what we can achieve. I hope my story can inspire others to start their own business; you don’t need to have qualifications or be an expert, but you do need to have the vision and drive to succeed.”
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