HARD-WORKING MUM RECKONS YOU CAN DO IT TOO ‘I fled ex to start £4m fashion empire’

A MUM built a £4million fashion firm from a council house – after moving to flee her ex.

Beth Bartram, 34, was desparate for cash so she scraped together £100 for stock to open a Facebook shop.

The mum-of-three started working from her attic but now employs a team of 10 and is set to turn over £4m this year.

Beth, from Buxton, Derbys, said: “We’ve grown so much, and looking back it was all such a whirlwind.

“I told myself ‘If I can sell 10 dresses a week then that’s £100, and that would be amazing’ as it would give me my own money to spend on the kids.

“I remember thinking ‘I need to keep going. I need to do it for them’.”

Beth’s story began when she left her ex and found council housing for herself and children, Effie, 10, Seth, seven, and Albie, six.

With her savings she bought items she thought would sell well online and was amazed to see them fly out the door.

Beth said: “I’d always loved fashion but as I hadn’t been to university I just thought that ship had well and truly sailed.

“But once I started, I knew if I kept working hard enough then I would get there.”

That was in 2011 and, with her children then under five, it meant long hard days for Beth,

She said: “Once the kids were in bed, I’d climb into the attic and sort out the orders. It was freezing so I’d be sat there in my coat packaging everything up.”

One day when she saw £1,000 in deposits for orders she realised she had turned a corner and rented office space above a garage to grow the business.

Beth’s company Fearlesss now sells clothing, footwear and accessories from its own range as well as from other brands via its website fearlesss.co.uk.

The company has also relocated to even bigger premises in Macclesfield, Ches.

Beth, who has now remarried and is mum to stepson Max, 10, added: “I went with the name Fearlesss because I wanted to inspire other mums like me. Hopefully my story will help them to follow their dreams.”