I Made £184,000 In One Month - Here Are My Tricks For Making Six Figures
- Brenda, 41, left full-time employment to seek a career in PR
- She struggled with self-employment at first and pawned belongings to fund her coaching
- After working hard and being helped by mentors she now turns over six figures
- She shares her tips for business success and shares how others can achieve the same
The cost of living crisis has led to many of us wanting to make extra money and leave the 9 to 5 grind. One woman who managed to do this and achieve incredible success - including making £184,000 in a single month - is Brenda Gabriel.
The 41 year old publicist from London told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘When I left my civil service career after 11 years I knew I wanted to do something that would make a real difference in the lives of many but I also wanted to cover my bills. I signed up to a property course to learn how to buy and flip houses.
‘By the end of the course, I knew it wasn’t for me but there was a marketing and PR segment which I found mind blowing. I learned all about the power of PR and promotional marketing. I learned about the different ways small unknown businesses could raise their profile and gain clients with ease if they had access to someone who could help them.
‘I totally blagged my way into working at an agency. I had no marketing or PR experience when I started but I convinced the founder to give me a chance to prove myself after drafting a proposal that outlined the results I expected to achieve. It took me a whole day to create but it was worth it because I got the job. After 8 months we decided to part ways as I realised some of the business growth goals we wanted to achieve were unrealistic in the timescales.’
After a while, Brenda decided to take the leap and go self-employed. She says the journey wasn’t easy, but by embracing the fear she has managed to achieve monumental success. ‘In my first year of being self-employed I made £11,000. I now run a 6-figure business and have done since 2018 which seems insane. When I worked as a civll servant, I was excited at the prospect of progressing to a salary of £60,000 as a senior manager. My highest sales month was £184,000 of sales in just one month.
‘After my first year in business, income grew slowly as I worked around a teen and two young children. In 2016/17 I made £24,000 in my business before hitting over £100,000 in 2017/18. In summer 2017 I hired a high-ticket sales coach and that was when things really took off for me.
‘I believe my financial success is down to my willingness to find a way to do whatever it takes to get to the next stage. This could be anything from networking to offering my services for free. I’ve taken numerous training courses and hired numerous coaches and a finance manager. At the start, I sold my Chanel handbag and jewellery to fund my coaching. I’ve even pawned a diamond ring multiple times to cover basic essentials.’
The switch from being employed by a company to running your own can be daunting. ‘It’s a real culture shock to go from being paid every month no matter how much work I did or didn’t do, to be responsible for making sure I get paid every month.
‘My biggest challenges were a lack of confidence and lack of business knowledge. I didn’t know anything about starting, growing or scaling a business. When I first started out money was very tight and I had to do everything myself. I had a newfound appreciation for my first PR boss and how much she had achieved by running a successful business with staff and a consistent flow of clients for years. It’s not as easy as it looks!’
Working for companies in the past has benefited Brenda’s current work, as she says she’s picked up several useful skills over the years. ‘Communication, project management, negotiation, team working and the art of persuasion were the most beneficial skills learned in my traditional jobs. These are all skills I use in my business now.’
Brenda also keeps in mind several pieces of business advice she’s received from influential people. ‘I’ve learned several things.
‘Take what you learn from others and adapt it to fit you. One size doesn’t fit all.
‘A problem cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created it.
‘You can have results or excuses, but you can’t have both.
‘Someone has to serve people at the bottom but it doesn’t have to be you.'
She has also benefited from influential mentors who have helped shape her approach to business. ‘My PR agency boss was my first industry mentor. I knew nothing about running a successful business in the PR industry before working with her.
‘I have been working with mentors and coaches in some way since I went self-employed. When I left the civil service, I spent £10,000 on a property training course, which ended up being a waste as I never went into property. However, I did meet some people who became friends and one even became a client later down the line.
‘I hired my first business coach in 2015 after having my 3rd child. She was just 5 months old but I couldn't afford not to bring any money in. I wasn’t eligible for financial support as my partner was working but it wasn’t enough to sustain a family of 5. I went form earning £400 per month to £800 per month which was huge for me at the time.
‘In the summer of 2017 I hired the coach who would change it all. It was less about running a business or being a great publicist and more about having the confidence to believe my own hype and charge accordingly. I’ve never looked back.’
Brenda’s main inspiration is her clients. ‘I only work with people who I believe deserve to have their story, message and work shared with the world.
‘One of my most inspirational clients is the former CEO of Porsche. He was actually responsible for bringing the company back from bankruptcy in the 90s. He’s also a world record holder, has raised hundreds of thousands for charity and is currently setting up a platform to help young people get all the support they need to set up and grow a new business.
‘Another former client is a life and business coach who has changed the face of the coaching industry by doing things her way. She has celebrities following her and a successful podcast and donated an entire month’s revenue, $250,000, to the Ukraine crisis. It's not every business owner who makes that sort of impact on the world and we rarely hear about them. My mission is to get as many of these inspirational people into the mainstream media as possible.
Brenda’s advice for others wanting to launch their own business is simple. ‘Do it. Start before you’re ready and be prepared to suck at everything in the beginning. Every master was once a disaster. What’s most important in the beginning is to keep showing up for yourself and be prepared to fail.
‘There are so many ways to make extra cash these days and social media accounts and books which all provide great advice on how to set up and run a successful business or side hustle. That means there’s no excuse not to do it.
‘The only thing to beware of is taking advice from multiple sources and trying to mix everything up at the start. Decide on a course of action and follow it through to success. So much time can be wasted trying to implement all the advice given that you never get anywhere fast.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Brenda has a truly inspirational career history for anyone who is looking to start their own business. The sky really is the limit once you put your mind to it!’..
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