Mandy is a professional property developer and landlord with a portfolio of properties, mostly in South Wales, which has a worth of several millions of pounds. She prides herself on being ethical and caring in her business – and as such has worked with the Princes Trust to inspire others and has been very active within the UK organisation Women In Property to raise the profile and opportunities for women within the property and construction sector. Indeed during 2019 to 2020 she is the UK’s leading woman in property as she’s the Chairman of the organisation, the first woman from Wales to hold the role. She is a professional mentor for those who want to build their own property portfolio – and also offers support to entrepreneurs in any sector who are serious about building their own business.

Mandy actually bought her first property at the age of 18, however it wasn’t until later in her life when she as struck down by the debilitating condition M.E (often called chronic fatigue syndrome) that she took the leap to start looking seriously at another career path. Already successful as a freelance IT consultant, and a Training & Development Manager she was unable to continue her career and had to put her own health first. She sold a property for a bigger home and when she found out the buyer was going to rent it out, she felt she had “missed a trick” and this made Mandy consider why she hadn’t thought about that. Mandy did some research and training with experts and her journey began.

Mandy always loved and enjoyed interior design, fashion and was inspired by women with successful business in the sector – including Kelly Hoppen and latterly Sarah Beeny. She was also inspired by the grit and determination of her grandmother and mother, who thrived and strived against a background of poverty and low income in the coal mining community of the Valleys. While being proud of those South Wales roots, Mandy has always striven to better herself and to provide herself with an income and life which matches her dreams. She has succeeded in doing this and feels it’s only right to put the ladder down to support others.

Mandy first had to overcome the problem of having a condition which can flare up and be debilitating for days, weeks or months at a time. It’s a condition she still manages today – M.E.    She has also chosen to operate in a very male-dominated sector – around 15 per cent of those working in property or construction are female. This has led to many situations where Mandy has felt she’s not been taken seriously in business, too many to list. Many women in business can feel on the backfoot because their business may have to work around other responsibilities or needs eg. children, caring for a loved one or a physical or mental health condition. This has inspired her to show other women that there is a way if you are prepare to take action.

Mandy believes there are several benefits to being your own boss – the first thing is knowing that whatever you earn, every penny has come through your own talent and effort.

You can work towards a goal of your own making – regardless of what anyone else thinks. If your goal is to earn £20k a year or £2m a year – there is no one definition of success.