
Roxy Jacenko is one of Australia’s most recognisable entrepreneurs. Her 231,000 Instagram followers pore over her near-daily updates, from snapshots of her family life to the events she attends and curates for her business, Sweaty Betty PR. Hundreds hand over cash for seminars, where she shares her tips and tricks. And news outlets eat up her ‘open-book’ approach to her personal crises, in particular her husband Oliver Curtis’ conviction for insider trading.
But Roxy doesn’t do any of it for the attention.
As the Sweaty Betty PR founder told Mamamia‘s No Filter podcast, she’s driven instead by money, by opportunity, and the desire to be able to give her two children, Pixie, 6, and Hunter, 4, the lifestyle her family afforded her.
“I always say I’d rather be rich than famous, but I know in this country what I need to do to get to that,” she told host Mia Freedman.
Listen to Roxy’s full chat with Mia. (Post continues below.)
Though she’d founded her publicity business in 2004 at the age of 24, Roxy first became widely known outside industry/Sydney circles after her appearance on Celebrity Apprentice 2013. Sweaty Betty is now considered among the country’s leading PR firms and her empire (including influencer business The Ministry of Talent and children’s accessories line Pixie’s Bows) reportedly has a turnover of $10-13 million.
“[Money is] not important – it allows opportunity. For instance, why have I’ve got five companies now? Because I’ve had the money to go out and start them on my own, and not have to get in investors and someone else to help me do it.
“Also, you know what? I want to give my children what my parents gave me. And that was the opportunity to travel and have… I mean, for instance, Pixie at the moment has additional tutoring for English and maths. I want to be able to give that to her.”
Roxy is married to former investment banker Oliver Curtis, who was released from his year-long prison sentence in June 2017. Yet when she talks about finances, you won’t hear her using words like ‘ours’. Her wealth is her own, for the sake of their relationship.
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Top Comments
I click on Roxy stories for the comments. Don't disappoint me guys...
There are over 1.16 million millionaires in Australia. Neck up with the "but I know in this country what I need to do to get to that" rubbish. Plus they've proven insider trading is a much more effective way to make money than fame ¯\_(ツ)_/¯