Businesswoman Overcomes Cancer Setback to Win National Award
Successful Lincolnshire entrepreneur Kirsty Gale, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, has been crowned Businessperson of the Year at the SME National Business Awards 2023 at Wembley Stadium.
Kirsty (43), founder & CEO of the UK’s largest dress specialists Red Carpet Ready, was chosen from thousands of entries by a national panel of judges and was presented with the award at a prestigious ceremony on 1st December 2023.
After leaving school at 16 with only a handful of qualifications, Kirsty started Red Carpet Ready in 2013 without any outside financial support or investment and has achieved impressive year-on-year growth.
Despite difficult trading conditions, the company is on track to achieve a record turnover of £1.6m – an increase of 14% on last year – and was recognised as one of the UK’s fastest growing female-led companies in this year’s E2E Female 100.
Winning Businessperson of the Year is the latest in a long list of accolades Kirsty has achieved and is even more remarkable given that she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in October.
She recently underwent an emergency lumpectomy and is facing an intensive course of radiotherapy but said her diagnosis has been a catalyst to achieving even greater success.
“I was absolutely thrilled to win Businessperson of the Year as it’s been a really tough year for me personally and I was up against some of the UK’s top male and female entrepreneurs,” explained Kirsty.
“Being told I have cancer was devastating and I was worried about the future as I have a 11-year-old daughter who needs her mum, as well as a business to run, but I am determined not to let it defeat me.
“Instead, I’ve tried to turn something negative into a positive and used it to fuel my ambition. Becoming a market leader is hard work but staying on top is even more of a challenge, which is why I’m constantly striving to lead from the front and exceed customer expectations.
“I’m a strong believer in bricks and mortar; Red Carpet Ready is a shopping destination and we attract thousands of customers from all over the UK every year to our venue which has five luxury showrooms and over 3,500 different styles, all under one roof.
“We’re open seven days a week and provide exceptional levels of customer service to give people an experience they’ll remember for years to come. I also design our own dress label, RCR Exclusives, which is manufactured globally and is by far our bestselling brand.
“Despite facing further treatment I’m full of optimism for 2024 and what we can achieve. I hope my story can inspire others to start their own business; you don’t need to have qualifications or be an expert, but you do need to have the vision and drive to succeed.”
A spokesperson from the SME National Business Awards said: “This year we have had a record number of entrants into the SME National Business Awards. Reaching the finals is a huge achievement in itself, especially considering the wealth of talent and the calibre of entrants for 2023.
“The Businessperson of the Year award is one of our most highly sought after categories, so to take home the gold trophy is a testament to Kirsty’s hard work and determination. We are pleased that her efforts have been recognised and awarded at a national level.”
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Notes for editors:
About Red Carpet Ready
Founded in 2013, Red Carpet Ready in Branston near Lincoln is the largest dress specialist retailer in the UK. Upon arrival at the five luxury dress showrooms, clients can choose from over 3,500 dresses in up to 27 colour variations for each style. Sizes range from UK 0 to 32. Prices start at £60 with payment plans and price match promises available.
Red Carpet Ready is regularly the favourite choice for evening wear by celebrities, public figures, influencers, pageant contestants and household names. Renowned figures wearing their dresses include Penny Lancaster, Scarlett Moffatt, Olivia Attwood and England footballer Jess Carter.
Red Carpet Ready is the only prom and evening wear retailer in the UK to design, manufacture and sell their own label exclusively. In 2022, their designs outsold all other designers available in their showrooms by 47%.
About Kirsty Gale – Founder & CEO of Red Carpet Ready
Kirsty is a multi-award-winning business leader with over 10 years’ experience in fashion design, merchandising, supply chain, marketing and business development.
After leaving school, Kirsty trained as an executive personal assistant, soon working for leadership teams at global corporations. Kirsty’s ambition, drive and ‘can do’ attitude meant she quickly progressed to managerial and directorial positions specialising in operations, logistics, sales and customer experience.
Ten years ago, after experiencing disappointing customer service and poor choice when helping a family friend buy a prom dress, Kirsty was inspired to combine her love for fashion and business acumen to create a luxury dress shopping experience with unrivalled choice.
During the global pandemic, Kirsty designed her own range of dresses – RCR Exclusives. In 2022 her designs outsold all other designers available in the showrooms by 47%.
In 2022 Kirsty won the Best Business in the Best Businesswomen Awards and joined the judging panel for Miss Great Britain.
About the SME National Business Awards
In their 7th year, the SME National Business Awards are made up of 20 categories and all entries are judged by up to four of a national panel of up to 30 judges.
Sponsors include Quatar Airways, The Business Show, Global and Wembley Stadium.
For a lists of all the 2023 winners please visit https://eventsandpr.co.uk/sme-national-business-awards
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