How I beat redundancy and recession

Robyn Jones was made redundant in 1991. With the £2,500 payoff she started her own business. Now she is the head of a multi-million pound catering firm - and is very rich indeed.

Robyn Jones, 47, wasn't the only person laid off in 1991. But she probably was one of the few to write her ex-boss a thank-you letter. "Thanks for making me redundant," it said. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have set up a catering business of my own." Seventeen years later, Jones's catering business Charlton House Catering is one of Britain's largest, and she is very rich indeed.

Jones went to catering college in Derbyshire, before taking a job at a Cambridge catering firm in 1980. She worked her way up from cooking to accounts and by 1991 was making £30,000 a year as head of catering at a Berkshire construction firm. Then came the P45. "At first I thought, 'Why me, what have I done?' But you've got to be upbeat."

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Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.