Fashion entrepreneur and social media influencer, Lisa McGowan paid herself a bumper pay package of €3.06m in pay and pension payments in 2024.
New accounts filed by Ms McGowan's Lisa’s Lust List Ltd show that last year, Ms McGowan's pay package more than doubled from €1.29m to €3.06m.
Ms McGowan’s pay was made up of €2.679m in emoluments and €384,002 in pension contributions.
The pay of €2.679m for 2024 equates to a bumper average pre-tax pay of €51,520 per week or €7,339 per day.
Ms McGowan is the firm’s only director and the bumper payout for 2024 of €2.67m is almost three times the pay of €949,575 to Ms McGowan for 2023.
The 137% increase in the overall pay package for Ms McGowan was the chief factor behind the firm recording a post tax loss of €736,075 for the year.
This contributed to accumulated profits at the company reducing from €1.195m to €459,677.
The payout to Ms McGowan also contributed to the company's cash pile taking a hit, reducing from €1.3m to €727,254.
The abridged accounts don't disclose revenues generated last year.
Ms McGowan, from Tullamore, Co Offaly, only started her online promotional work after she won the best-dressed lady competition at the Galway Races in 2016.
An insurance broker by profession in the family firm, the 52 year old only incorporated Lisa’s Lust List Ltd in November 2017.
The business has expanded with Ms McGowan now sellingclothes, accessories and beauty products on her lisaslustlist.iewebsite under her 'Lisa & Co’ brand.
Ms McGowan also set up a new company, Jentro Ltd in 2023 as her online business continues to flourish and a joint venture company, LMLB Beauty Ltd has yet to file its 2024 accounts but made post tax profits of €895,660 in 2023.
Ms McGowan’s commercial success was recently recognised when she was goss.ie's Entrepreneur of The Year.
Ms McGowan’s Lisa’s Lust List site specialises in promoting products including fashion items, beauty, health, travel and homeware, mainly produced by Irish-based small to medium-sized enterprises.
The fashion blogger’s Lisa’s Lust List Facebook page has 216,000 followers while her Lisa’s Lust List on Instagram has increased to 188,000 followers - an overall 404,000 followers on the two social media platforms.
In a recent extensive interview with goss.ie, Ms McGowan commented: "So yes, I am very successful, I’m earning a lot of money, but it was never about money to me. Because if you lose that trust in your audience, there’s only one way down. You’re going to lose your trust and you’ve lost everything you’ve built in 10 years
She said: "I’ve always been business savvy, I bought my first house when I was 19. I started flipping houses at 19/20. So I’ve been an entrepreneur since very young, but I come from a family of entrepreneurs. So it was always something I wanted to do."
On the growth of her businesses, Ms McGowan told goss.ie "I know that the businesses are doing well because I see what’s happening, but when you add up the three companies to those turnovers, you go, ‘oh okay’."
"I want to double it next year, I’m going to be honest. Because I just keep going, the goal post keeps moving. I hit a goal and I go again. And please god there will be a fourth company coming now."
She added: "I live and breathe Lisa & Co. I live and breathe what I do, and maybe that’s why I’m doing so well….Financially I’m okay, and I’m not in it for the money. You know, I’m 52, I can’t do this forever."
Ms McGowan told goss.ie "People say to me, ‘you’re a millionaire’ - I don’t even think of it like that. I get up in the morning, I do my jobs, I have my lunch, I do more jobs, I work hard, I go to bed. If that’s what the life of a millionaire is, fair enough."
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
