My first million: Fiona Price, diva-biz.com

When she joined a firm of IFAs, Fiona Price was shocked that there weren't any women around. And that's how the idea for an IFA aimed at women came to her.

As an advert for business school, you couldn't get much better than Fiona Price. Straight out of Exeter with a degree in psychology, she did an MBA in 1983 at City University, set up as an independent financial adviser, sold out within five years for a "not insubstantial sum" and then set up another successful business. So it's a pity she doesn't have much good to say about it. "Business school is a disappointment. I couldn't even read a balance sheet."

But the financial world still had its attractions, and after replying to "one of those really crass ads at the beginning of the 80s be your own boss, be your own company'", she joined an IFA firm staffed mostly by men. "I was really shocked that there just weren't any women around. I came from a student background where it was pretty evenly spread, men to women. In a financial seminar there would be one woman in a room of 100 men."

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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.