Charlotte Body, a 52-year-old company founder and mother of two from Southend, Essex, was expelled from school at 14 for running a clothing business from her locker and a local pub. She left with just one GCSE and no other qualifications, yet by the age of 30 she had become a millionaire. She now runs Pause Live, which she describes as the UK's largest women's health event, and insists "anyone can run a business".
Struggles at school and an early business venture
Born in Brentwood, Charlotte said she "sailed through" primary school but found secondary school challenging because of her dyslexia. She described herself as "naughty", skipping lessons and not applying herself, and said she hid her dyslexia by being "the clown". She was bullied by peers who noticed her condition, which led her to disengage from schoolwork.
At 14, a family friend offered her the chance to sell clothing for commission. Charlotte and her best friend began selling fashion pieces from a school locker and the nearby pub, earning around £25 a week in cash. "We had this business running from our locker and the pub. You could get into the pub at that age, in our school uniforms," she said. "So, we'd sell this stuff, and then I got my school report, which basically said, 'I have not seen this child'. Then I was called in for truancy and things, so me and my best friend got expelled at the same time."
Early career and the leap to entrepreneurship
Charlotte was sent to boarding school but left after 18 months because she lacked the qualifications for A-levels. At 16, she was recruited to her first job in sales, working for a baby magazine for the National Childbirth Trust. She earned around £500 or £600 a week on commission. "The faxes would come in to tell you you've done a two-and-a-half grand deal, and it was all commission," she recalled.
After working in sales at other publishing companies and moving to London, she had her first child in 2001. Following maternity leave, she said she was "let go" from her job, which she believes was due to sexism and having children, as she was "their top salesperson". At 28, she launched her own car magazine from her spare bedroom "in between changing nappies", with a £10,000 loan from her father. She later set up an exhibition for the magazine, which she said was "really successful".
From car magazines to cosmetics and women's health
When the car market crashed, Charlotte shifted focus to the aesthetics market, launching a cosmetic news publication. She sold the car side of the business, which was turning over just under £1 million annually, and at 39 sold the cosmetics company, which was turning over £1.2 million annually. She semi-retired at 40 to spend more time with her children.
After her divorce, which she described as one of the hardest times in her life, Charlotte experienced "every symptom that you can imagine" of perimenopause. After visiting her GP four times and being offered antidepressants, she pushed for further testing privately and was prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT). She then set up Menopause in Practice (MiP), a B2B conference for healthcare professionals, and founded Pause Live in 2023, which holds "the UK's largest menopause and women's health event" every year.
Empowering others and future plans
Charlotte said the event is not for profit: "We put everything back into it because we want to help other women that were like me, that were really lost and didn't know where to go." She plans to launch a men's health event, as she sees "gaps in the market".
Reflecting on her journey, she said: "I've been knocked back three or four times and told I can't do certain things... but it's just having that desire and seeing that vision." She added: "I still believe that anyone can run a business if they put their minds to it."
