Life lessons with Karren Brady
Apprentice star, businesswoman and football club boss KARREN BRADY, 51, tells what makes her tick
■ Learn a new skill
It’s never too late to try something new. I learned sign language for the first time last year. It’s something I always wanted to do. I am chairman of the Disabled Supporters’ Advisory Board at my football club, West Ham, and one of the members on it is deaf. I thought it would be nice to be able to communicate with him. I’m not fluent; I have learned the basics but it is still a lovely way to be able to communicate with people.
■ My gran inspired me
I credit my grandmother Nina with instilling in me my strong work ethic. She was a real role model. She was a cleaner for most of her life and we were very close. I used to go to jobs with her when I was about six or seven. We would get up at five in the morning and clean offices before they opened. She was so dynamic and loved her family. She always used to say to me: ‘Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up.’ I try to live by that. Having mentors close to home is really important.
■ Don’t hold back
When I started running Birmingham City Football Club as managing director when I was 23, I didn’t see it as pressure, I saw it as a challenge. I loved it. I threw everything at it, and I let nothing distract me. At the time, a lot of people who didn’t know me were quite rude. There was a mixture of ageism and sexism, as
I was working in a very male-dominated business. That kind of criticism and onslaught can cripple you – or make you a lot stronger. You eventually realise that if you don’t fight and stand up for yourself, no one else is going to do it for you. It’s important to believe in yourself. I’ve got broad shoulders!
All I want for my daughter and son (Sophia, 23, and Paolo, 21) is to be happy and healthy. They are my pride and joy. My daughter is working, and my son is studying politics and journalism. I’d like him to be a lobby journalist, but who knows! I’d love them to find something that they are passionate about and love doing. When you are a mum, you realise that you are just trying your best. I am certainly not one that interferes in their lives but I like to be kept abreast of what’s going on. It’s good to talk and hear their news although we do speak every day. And we have a family WhatsApp group full of funny jokes!
■ Nurture friendships
Family and friends are everything; people who you can laugh with, share things with, live your life with – it’s so important. I love to make time for friends. My best friend is Suzanne, who I met when we were both pregnant with our daughters. Astonishingly both girls ended up going to the same school, in the same year, and the same thing happened with both our sons. She’s an interior designer and despite our busy lives, we speak every day on the phone.
■ Take a break
After my health scare a few years ago [in 2006, Karen had a life-saving operation to remove a brain aneurism] I realised that life is short. I take holidays more regularly now and my husband Paul and I did an incredible tour of Thailand last year. It’s good to carve out time for relaxation.
■ Karren has recently launched an MBA with Arden University to unlock the potential of entrepreneurs (women entrepreneurs in particular) and combat gender imbalance in the boardroom. For more details visit www.arden.ac.uk/KBMBA