Trolls accuse me of ‘pimping out’ my daughter as her social media makes millions – but she has a business to keep going
SHE’S a child millionaire who was able to retire at the unripe age of 11 and was eyeing up a Range Rover to add to her luxury car collection.
Meet 12-year-old Pixie Curtis, who found fame as a pre-schooler through numerous businesses and a huge Instagram presence – all of which were managed by her mum, PR guru Roxy Jacenko.
Pixie – whose mum is the founder of PR firm Sweaty Betty – has already taken on several brand deals and is promoting phone accessories to her 181k followers on Instagram.
But although the pre-teen – who’s now returned back to work – may enjoy the lavish lifestyle, the 44-year-old Aussie mum has faced huge backlash for ”pimping out” her young daughter.
Opening up about the criticism on the No Filter podcast, the parent – whose estimated net worth is thought to be over a staggering £10million – explained that there’s always been judgement, even when it comes to her work ethic.
”When you have your own business, it’s not a choice [to stop],” said Roxy, who hosted a seminar to 700 people even with an intravenous drip still attached to her arm.
”Who am I going to call and say ‘Oh, sorry, get someone to cover me’?
”There is no one,” the multi-millionaire went on in the episode.
No, it’s not an option – it’s just not
Roxy Jacenko
”Whilst it would be an absolute joy to take three months off and spend the time with the children, it’s not an option.
”You have to remember – I am the breadwinner in the family,” said the mum-of-two, whose son, Hunter, is now nine.
In fact, Roxy – one of the runners up on the third season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia – is so dedicated to her work, she barely took any maternity leave and was back to replying to emails shortly after having both kids.
Even when her hubby, Oliver Curtis, was getting sentenced for insider trading, Roxy still went on and held a special PR and social media seminar.
Amongst critics of the family – who have now relocated to Singapore – there tends to be the perception that Oliver ”is really rich and he makes heaps of money”.
”It’s infuriating,” Roxy hit back at the false claims, adding that she’s been working since the age of 14 when she was ”a McDonald’s drive-through chick”.
”Kodak, I was florist for seven years – I’ve always worked.
”You get up, you get your s**t together. Even if I had a drip in my arm – 700 people paid money to come to the seminar.
”They’ve flown from New Zealand, from Fiji, from Melbourne, from Adelaide, from Tasmania – I’m not gonna make a note and say ‘Sorry everyone, you’ve just gone out of your way to spend the morning, I’m not feeling too good’.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
”No, it’s not an option – it’s just not.”
Roxy, who tied the knot with her partner in 2012, also reminded that whilst people assume she comes from a wealthy background, it wasn’t necessarily the case.
”My parents gave me one thing – and that was a $4,000 [£3,150] Volvo which was 17-years-old.”
It’s not just her two children she needs to look after – the hard-working publicist added that there are also staff members she needs to pay wages to, as well as clients who are expecting results.
”They come to me cause they know I work my account, so it’s my business.”
The lavish lifestyle is also reflected on Roxy’s Instagram where she regularly posts snaps of her fancy beach holidays, designer gear and all things beauty – and she does so proudly.
The mum-of-two, who was ”s**t at school”, said that as long as you ”apply yourself, you’re dedicated and if you work hard […], you can have anything you want”.
”I’m the perfect example of that,” Roxy said, adding that at the time of starting her PR company she had ”no f***ing idea” what she was doing.
”Those materialistic things – they’re not the be-all and end-all.
”But for me, I achieved it – and I achieved it even though I was a dumb kid at school,” said the stylish mum who admitted she liked ”nice things”.
Just like her mum, Pixie, too, has her very own business, at one point selling adorable hair bows, as well as a deal with Clark’s shoes.
However, Roxy said that she’d still provide for her daughter – ”whether she’s five or 55”, and that the duo turn down quite a few Instagram advertisement proposals.
Although at the moment, the business mogul has three high-paying sources of income, Roxy confessed she’s always on the lookout ”for the next”.
”I like expensive things.”