posted November 07, 2003 06:48 AM         

she's got her first shop going in Brighton and it's 1976,she's wants a premisis to start a second shop and after looking around has found a very nice shop in a side street in a place near Brighton.

the following is copied word for word from what Anita has written in her book and where there is a * I've just inserted an explanation

"When I went back to the bank to raise the money I got the same brusque treatment as before.I only wanted to borrow £4000,but the answer was no.I had no track record,I had only been trading for a few months and was not making all that much money.Another shop was not viable.I should wait for at least another year.
A year?A year was an eternity to me,I had no intention of waiting that long before I opened a second shop.I had to find someone willing to invest in me-someone who would realise I didn't do things by halves,that I had energy and a total commitment to what I was doing.
It was Airdre who came up with the solution*(Airdre was helping her in her shop).Her boyfriend Ian McGlinn,owned a local garage and had some spare cash.He said he would lend me £4000 in return for a half share of the business,it seemed a pretty good deal to me,in truth there wasn't much of a business to split,and I was only really interested in getting together the finance for a second shop.I wrote and told Gordon what I was going to do*(her husband who was away travelling)he wrote back as soon as he could telling me not to do it,not to give away half the company,but it was too late-by the time this letter arrived I had already done it.
Ian McGlinn's £4000 investment in The Body Shop in 1976 was the best decision he ever made,when the company went public in 1984 it was worth £4 million;it is now worth in excess of £140 million*(this book published in 1992 so thats over ten years ago),giving away half the business is considered by many as the biggest mistake I have ever made,but I don't resent it,I needed the money,I needed it quickly,and Ian was the only then who would give it to me,£4000 was quite a sum in those days,and it was not unreasonable of him to expect something back in return-a 50 per cent stake in two small shops was hardly a fortune,I think he believed that if he eventually got eight grand back it would have been a terrific investment;in fact it was like winning the football pools over and over again.
People are often surprised at the situation,but our attitude is very straightforward-we don't need the money so why should we worry about it of begrudge Ian his good luck?We're relaxed about it,certainly neither Gordon nor I envy him in the least;our pleasure and fulfilment are obtained from running the business,not from the money it makes."

posted November 07, 2003 10:19 AM         

Thank you so much for sharing that beautiful story. May The Body Shop prosper and be all that it is ment to be

I hope to hear more from you!

juniperb

posted November 18, 2003 05:12 AM         

Ever work as a waitress? You GOTTA believe in it to do this all day long.

And thats why good waitresses (sorry, i better be PC..servers, then) always tip crazy overboard.

(keep in mind i said GOOD ones)