Parents have always nagged their children of how vital education is to their future success. While that still holds true to an extent, many successful entrepreneurs - like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates - have proven that you can still be successful even if you dropped out of school.
What makes this story different from previous success stories, however, is how she managed to still become a self-made millionaire after leaving school at a young age as a single mother.
Meet Kate Stewart (photo here), a woman from Liverpool, who managed to obtain her first million at the tender age of 23 through beauty salons and tanning shops, all before taking over Liverpool's Heritage Market.
Kate Stewart appeared on "How The Other Half Lives," a documentary on UK's Channel 5. Speaking with the hosts, Stewart shared her story:
"I left school with no qualifications and had a normal, dead-end job paying £2.50 an hour. I got pregnant at 17 and the destiny written for me was 'you are going to claim benefits and have more kids.' Everyone wrote me off and I though 'no' and came back fighting. That gave me the drive to achieve."
Kate continued her studies at Edge Hill University while raising her daughter Caitlin. She told presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, "I did a degree and ended up running a company and then invested my money correctly so I built up my own empire."
Now at 33 years old, Kate Stewart is definitely wealthier than she could have expected to be. According to Unilad:
"She is now so wealthy, she splashes out £250,000 on diamonds and spends £1,000 a night stay in hotels in the capital whilst away on business, pre-ordering her clothes online to arrive before she does... so she doesn't have to carry suitcases."
Stewart is definitely reaping the fruits of her labor, and she's not even embarrassed about her lavish spending lifestyle. Kate said:
"I don't get embarrassed by my spending, I have worked for everything I have got and I am proud of everything I buy. Sometimes nice clothing and jewelry is your armor, you put your armor on and go out and you are almost playing a role, it makes me feel more confident."
Kate Stewart is definitely a living example of what it means to have the right attitude paired with hard work.
