I left school with no A Levels – now I’m worth £40m and on Dragons Den

A Dragons Den star has proved that traditional qualifications aren’t the be all and end all when it comes to success.

Deborah Meaden, 64, moved around various schools as a child and admits she struggled with reading when she was small.

But despite all the change, including a short stint in boarding school, Deborah left high school aged 16 with eight O Levels, including one in business.

However, instead of opting to do A Levels and a degree at university, Deborah went down another route – and the astute businesswoman is now worth an estimated £40million.

Deborah previously told The Independent: “I wanted to leave home, so found a course that my local college didn’t do.

“I didn’t think it at the time but the OND course in business studies at Brighton Tech was useful; for example, my business letters are short, to the point, not flowery and don’t repeat themselves.”

She also revealed: “You had to have a minimum of 70 per cent attendance and one term I didn’t, which meant you had to pay back to the council the fees it had paid for you.

“I intercepted the letter to my parents and paid the money myself by waitressing and washing up. I didn’t tell my parents until many years later.”

Once Deborah had finished her business course at college, she launched her own glass and ceramics import company.

Despite having little capital, the business did well and she supplied upmarket stores including Harvey Nichols with her goods.

She was then able to go on and set up one of the first ‘Stefanel’ fashion franchises to appear in the UK – before moving into the leisure sector.

Deborah took up a position in the family arcade business and quickly worked her way up from the shop floor to Operations Director.

She moved into the holiday park side of the business and had been promoted to Managing Director for Weststar Holidays within two years.

According to her official website: “[Deborah] sold the company to Phoenix Equity Partners in 2005 in a deal worth £33m, whilst retaining a 23 per cent stake and an active role within the firm.

“She sold her remaining stake in the business when Weststar was sold to Parkdean Holidays for £83m.”

Deborah then acquired Fox Brothers, a textile mill, in 2009.

In 2011 she launched The Merchant Fox, a website selling luxury British-made goods.

Deborah had also joined the Dragons’ Den team in 2003 and, as of 2022, her net worth is estimated to be roughly £40million.

On Thursday night, the latest series of the BBC show drew to a close and saw Deborah and her four fellow Dragons joining forces to invest in a “very special” business.