My Siblings Sued Us for Inheritance - One Month After Our Father Died.

One year later, we lost our home. I was 12.

This is the story of how my mother built her future — and, in the process, created a serial entrepreneur.

(3-minute read)

My Mum Did Not Have A Comfortable Life.

But she built one full of love, respect and success.

She was one of six children, born in Ireland in 1955. When she was 11, her father, a police officer, died from injuries sustained in a brutal attack at work. That loss shaped her forever.

After his death, home wasn’t safe. She grew up with an abusive mother and learned early that survival meant strength. At 15, she tried to run away to England and failed. She was caught and sent back.

She tried again.

At 16, while working in a restaurant, she quietly hid her belongings in her locker over several months. Then one day, she ran for the boat and sailed to London alone. No money, no safety net, just determination.

She Started To Build On Her Terms.

Mum built a career in property, working as an estate agent and later running a hotel. Near 30, she met my dad. He had three children from a previous marriage. They fell in love, and in 1986, I was born and we became a blended family.

People often ask how women can build businesses and still show up fully as mothers. My experience is that the two worlds aren’t separate, they’re connected.

I was raised inside both. I sat in board meetings, accountants’ offices, lawyers’ meetings, and construction sites. I was bored, very bored, but something soaked in.

What stayed with me wasn’t the deals or the money. It was how she treated people. Everyone received the same respect, regardless of status. She made people feel seen. That mattered more than anything.

But That Did Not Keep Us Safe.

My dad was diagnosed with cancer, and our family and business worlds began to crack open. Board meetings stopped and were replaced with hospital visits. Then those stopped too.

My dad died.

My mum was 43. I was 11.

The Hardest Chapter.

We didn’t know it yet, but the challenge was just beginning. 

One month after his death, my siblings sued us for the entire inheritance. A year later, we lost our home.

For years, my mum fought legal battles while raising me, protecting me, and shaping who I would become. Even in chaos, her presence never disappeared.

During this time, she taught me; 

• Resilience without bitterness

• Strength without ego

• Dignity in adversity.

She never spoke badly of others, even when she had every reason to. She showed me that how you act when things go wrong matters more than how you act when things go right.

We Started To Build Together

Years later, when I started my first business, she believed in me completely. She mentored me, challenged me, and backed me. We spoke or saw each other every day.

In 2015, my world cracked open again. My mum died. I was 29.

For the first time, I felt completely alone. But I also knew what to do, because she had shown me how.

I gathered everything she had taught me and started to build bigger. I built FoodStars, scaled it, and exited. Now, I’m building Tradestars.

Everything I’ve Built Is An Extension Of My Mum.

She showed me that you can build and still be present.
That you can fight and still be kind.
That you can raise a child while the world is collapsing around you, and not lose yourself.

That is what Mums Who Build means to me.

Roy Shaby
Husband. Girl Dad. Serial Entrepreneur.
Co-Founder, Tradestars

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