Brenda Gabriel never imagined she’d be the owner of a six-figure business when she left school with just one A-Level at grade E.
Her success - which shows university isn’t the only route to a good career - is detailed as thousands of students pick up their A-Level results today.
Brenda, who lives in London, is now the owner of a PR agency and business growth consultancy firm and says she is on target to turn over £200,000.
Speaking to The Mirror, she recalls doing well in her GCSEs in 1998 aged 16, securing one A*, seven Bs and one C, despite doing them two weeks after giving birth to her first son.
But she did “horribly” in her A-Levels, getting just one E in French due to depression and breaking up with the father of her child in 2000.
While studying, Brenda took up several jobs including a shop assistant role for a shoe retailer where she was paid £2.60 an hour, and later a Saturday job at TK Maxx.
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Brenda said: “After my GCSEs, I took a year out to look after my son and started college, studying business, French and IT.
“I wanted to be a bilingual international business woman but I flunked my A-Levels and I knew I couldn’t get into university.
“I grew up in Huddersfield. Many people struggled to get work let alone running a business. I didn’t know anyone who owned their own business.
“I always imagined I’d work in an organisation that belonged to someone else.”
The first job Brenda secured after college was for a security company in December 2001, working there for seven months before switching to a similar firm.
Then in 2003, she started working as a civil servant in the Crown Prosecution Service, a role she would hold for 11 years until a near-death experience inspired her to start another career.
She says the moment that changed her life came in July 2012, when she was run off her bike by a car while on her way to a fitness bootcamp class.
A month later, Brenda then found herself pregnant with her second child and knew she wanted to be around to see all their milestones.
She said: “My first thought after the accident was: I’m going to be late for bootcamp. My second thought was: I could have died a civil servant.
“I realised then I needed to find a way to leave my job so seven months later, I took voluntary redundancy without a clue about what I would do for work.
“I just knew I wanted to fulfil my purpose, which definitely didn’t include implementing new structures only for them to be changed again 18 months later.”
Brenda dabbled in selling hair extensions and working in property and social media management before discovering PR.
She started off working for an agency before eventually going solo and setting up her business, Brenda Gabriel PR, in 2015, where she works with entrepreneurs and influencers.
Brenda finally hit six figures for the first time in 2018, turning over an impressive £149,000.
Her turnover dipped in 2020 due to having to pause client work and manage home schooling, but she is now back on target and is aiming to turn over £200,000.
Brenda’s advice to anyone worrying about their career and looking to start their own business is to “not overthink it” and start looking at how to make your vision a reality.
She said: “Good advice from people who have already been there cannot be underestimated and will save you money and time in the long run.
“Hire a mentor or coach that understands your industry, get clear on exactly what your client wants and how you can give it to them and charge enough to make a profit.
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was to plan how you will make your first £5,000 in business.
“It really helps focus the mind on the most important activities you need to undertake to start making money.”
