Ding dong! The single mother who built a multi-million-pound empire... as an Avon lady

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:28 PM on 6th January 2011

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She has no qualifications, and only started working as an Avon lady to make new friends, but a single mother has built a £5.5million empire by selling cosmetics door-to-door.

Gail Reynolds, 39, began selling cosmetics door-to-door just eight years ago, in her home town of Weymouth, Dorset.

But the mother-of-three was so successful she began recruiting her own sales representatives.

Cosmetic advancement: Gail Reynolds has built up a £5.5million fortune by working as an Avon lady, and now employs 2,500 people across the UK

After a few years she had built up a team of 2,500 people across the country, all of whom pay her 12 per cent of their sales.

Mrs Reynolds, who was brought up on a council estate, now takes home a salary of £115,000 a year, with projected sales of £5.5million for the current financial year.

She drives a brand new Mercedes and is hoping to move into a luxury home on a millionaire's row in her home town of Weymouth, Dorset.

She said: 'It's been a roller-coaster of a ride to say the least.

'I used to earn £5 an hour but now I earn £800 a day. I never in a million years thought I'd be earning so much money.

'I only started the job to make new friends but really got into it and I'm glad my hard work is paying off.'

Mrs Reynolds left school with no qualifications to work on a fruit and veg stall.

By the time she was 19 she found herself as a single mother and working part-time as a bookkeeper.

Avon calling: Mrs Reynolds, who left school with no qualifications and grew up on a council estate, now drives a brand new Mercedes

In 2002, she became an Avon lady in the hope of meeting new people and became a sales leader within a couple of months.

She recruited her husband Brian to the empire in 2004 and the pair claim they can earn up to £36,000 in just nine weeks.

Her hard work with Avon has been rewarded with prizes of all-expenses-paid holidays and afternoon tea with Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon.

Mrs Reynolds, who now has two other children with husband Brian, said: 'I left school with no qualifications and worked on a fruit and veg stall for about a year.

'I was a single parent at 19 and then worked part-time as a bookkeeper.

'Yet to date we have clocked up 127,493.24 pounds in earnings from our Avon business.

'Eight years of hard work and true dedication has been the key to this kind of success.

'Brian joined my Avon business six years ago and he's become the backbone of the business.

'We recruit 10 to 15 people a week, train, coach, develop, incentive, motivate, and help build businesses for anyone that has personal commitment to build a future with Avon.'

Mrs Reynolds, whose 20-year-old son Ashleigh is also a representative, added: 'Not a lot of people realise the opportunity Avon offers.

'It's not just £50 pocket money. If you want to build up a business, work around the family and have a new career it's an easy concept.'

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