Its clever to be Posh. UK Entrepreneur of the Year gets spiced up !

Lapin · 27-10-2014 07:39PM #1

Victoria Beckham has topped a list of Britain's top 100 entrepreneurs by Management Today magazine.

They praised her "finely tuned business acumen" for expanding her fashion empire into a business with a £30m turnover and a staff of 100.

Editor Matthew Gwyther accepted that some may "scoff" at the fact that the former Spice Girl came top.

But he said she had created "a company that is both real and wildly successful".

Gwyther admitted "some will say she's never been taught how to cut a pattern, or iron a pleat on a fashion course... Doubters will claim she's just the wife of the world's most famously over-tattooed ex-footballer. It's all come to her far too easily."

But he pointed out that "celebrity has long been a powerful commercial tool" and called her "an adept exploiter of her own celeb value".

BBC

Good luck to her I say !

Obviously she had a head start and is well connected, but rather than pissing her fame up against the wall or shoving it up her nose like many of her contemporaries, Victoria Beckham harnessed her good fortune and exploited it even further and create a successful enterprise.

She's obviously a better businesswoman than she is a singer.

And the less said about her acting career the better.

Fair play where its due and fuck the begrudgers.

kneemos · 27-10-2014 07:44PM

They all seem to be fairly level headed in fairness to them.Sporty Spice had a fairly promising singing career there for a while.

Sunnyisland · 27-10-2014 07:46PM

Girl power...

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 07:50PM

Well done to Management Today for getting their headline, rather than actually focussing on a business person who has invented something genuinely useful and profitable that improves the lives of us all.

ceadaoin. · 27-10-2014 07:51PM

She is very well respected as a designer, her clothes and bags are quite high end and are often feature in Vogue and worn by celebrities to high profile events. Fair play to her. She knows fashion and has more talent there than she ever did as a singer.

Lapin · 27-10-2014 07:59PM

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Well done to Management Today for getting their headline, rather than actually focussing on a business person who has invented something genuinely useful and profitable that improves the lives of us all.

The number one objective of any business is profit.

'Improving the lives of us all' comes way way down the list.

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 08:02PM

Lapin wrote: »

The number one objective of any business is profit.

'Improving the lives of us all' comes way way down the list.

Hmm...you seem to have confused the idea of "awards" with "rewards".

sabat · 27-10-2014 08:03PM

Lapin wrote: »

Victoria Beckham harnessed her good fortune and exploited it even further and create a successful enterprise...

..She's obviously a better businesswoman than she is a singer...

...Fair play where its due and fuck the begrudgers.

No mention of any net profits in that article and what other information I can see on the web indicates that the clothing portion of the parent company (which is less than 33% owned by VB) is actually loss-making and is being subsidised by her husband's earnings.

Deenie123 · 27-10-2014 08:05PM

Take a look at the spice girls. Anyone heard from Emma Bunton lately? Geri Haliwell? Mel C? Seen the state of Mel B?

She came from a cheesy, low credibility start and turned that into a hugely successful high end fashion company. Her designs are fantastic and she's right up there with any other high end designer. From the Spice Girls, remember?

That's fairly entrepreneurial, but to be fair, Irish people do love to begrudge and try take people down a peg or ten...

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 08:06PM

sabat wrote: »

No mention of any net profits in that article and what other information I can see on the web indicates that the clothing portion of the parent company (which is less than 33% owned by VB) is actually loss-making and is being subsidised by her husband's earnings.

Security, get this begrudger out of here at once, and tell them to take their fancy "real world" theories with them.

You're jealous of her knockers and Qatari-shill husband, that's what you are.

Karl Stein · 27-10-2014 08:10PM

Surely there are hundreds of more deserving entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors that didn't have the riches, connections, profile/husband, and handlers she has?

Lapin wrote: »

The number one objective of any business is profit.

Said the hit-man to his apprentices.

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 08:21PM

My point on this is that Management Today missed a real opportunity to inspire people to go into business.

There are some brilliant stories out there - people who have turned their lives around from nothing by coming up with solutions to problems, made money from it, everyone's a winner.

I wish Vic Becks well with her enterprise, but I doubt her story will be told at motivational seminars in the future.

everdead.ie · 27-10-2014 08:32PM

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Well done to Management Today for getting their headline, rather than actually focussing on a business person who has invented something genuinely useful and profitable that improves the lives of us all.

In Fairness inventing something that is profitable, useful and benefits us all does not make a good entrepreneur.

See Alexander Flemming and penecillin.

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 08:49PM

everdead.ie wrote: »

In Fairness inventing something that is profitable, useful and benefits us all does not make a good entrepreneur.

See Alexander Flemming and penecillin.

I beg to differ. Alexander Flemming got a Nobel Prize and an asteroid named after him, and rightly so. He wasn't angling for a celebratory dinner from the local Chamber of Commerce.

But anyway, Management Today has yet to point out the great - indeed, award-winning - management techniques used by Posh that the rest of us can learn from. When they do, I might revise my opinion.

everdead.ie · 27-10-2014 08:59PM

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

I beg to differ. Alexander Flemming got a Nobel Prize and an asteroid named after him, and rightly so. He wasn't angling for a celebratory dinner from the local Chamber of Commerce.

But anyway, Management Today has yet to point out the great - indeed, award-winning - management techniques used by Posh that the rest of us can learn from. When they do, I might revise my opinion.

Exactly he wasn't an entrepreneur looking to make money from his discovery and years later he was recognized for his contribution to medicine.

On the other hand posh spice has used her brand to sell pretty much everything and anything, not like I'm saying she is the best entrepreneur in the world just saying she is one without having to meet your suggested criteria.

The Diabolical Monocle · 27-10-2014 09:03PM

Yeah you need business acumen when you're already sitting on a giant financial warchest and have control of huge media interest.

Could it be more of a case where perhaps some experienced business people who've actually got ability and experience came to her and said 'you know it would be a great idea for you if you were to launch these particular your products and employ us as advisers'.

The Victoria Beckham tin whistle band, also starring led zeppelin.

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 09:04PM

everdead.ie wrote: »

On the other hand posh spice has used her brand to sell pretty much everything and anything, not like I'm saying she is the best entrepreneur in the world just saying she is one without having to meet your suggested criteria.

Well, we seem to be on the same wavelength here.

Management Today ARE saying she is the best entrepreneur in the world, and I have an issue with that.

She doesn't meet my suggested criteria - fair enough.

What criteria does she meet, though? I ask this honestly. I'm not having a go at her personally, just guiding my lance towards cheap MT hacks looking for a celeb headline.

ceadaoin. · 27-10-2014 09:33PM

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Well, we seem to be on the same wavelength here.

Management Today ARE saying she is the best entrepreneur in the world, and I have an issue with that.

She doesn't meet my suggested criteria - fair enough.

What criteria does she meet, though? I ask this honestly. I'm not having a go at her personally, just guiding my lance towards cheap MT hacks looking for a celeb headline.

According to The Guardian

The rankings are drawn up by assessing turnover growth and job creation over the past five years.

Since the 40-year-old mother-of-four and former Spice Girl set up her fashion business five years ago, her staff has grown from three to a 100-strong team with the latest turnover at £30m.

Offering leather credit card holders for £150, T-shirts for more than £700 and handbags for up to £18,000, she has seen sales growth of 2,900% and employment growth of 3,233%. “Deservedly she is number one in these two crucial measurements for success,” Beresford said.

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 09:42PM

So what was her profit for the last tax year then?

Donkey Oaty · 27-10-2014 09:59PM

As a follow up to the above: anyone can meet those targets with enough cross-subsidies, and an entrepreneur that does not make.

Mint Aero · 27-10-2014 10:01PM

Easy to be great at business when you can pay people to do all the dirty work. Completely undeserving of such an accolade so she is she is ffs.

suicide_circus · 27-10-2014 10:28PM

If I ever start reading "Management Today Magazine" I can only hope someone will shoot me in the face.

Karl Stein · 27-10-2014 11:15PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

If I ever start reading "Management Today Magazine" I can only hope someone will shoot me in the face.

But how else could you revert back to your colleagues, enable blue-sky thinking, and promote synergy?

Gong forward.

Its clever to be Posh. UK Entrepreneur of the Year gets spiced up !

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