‘’Does she realise that she is failing this class?” the high school teacher asked Lisa’s mother.

But while school wasn’t for the teenager, she wasn’t short on drive and determination.

‘’School isn’t for everyone,’’ Lisa explains. ‘’I  never went to university, but I was passionate about something, I worked hard and I followed that passion through to where I am today.’’

And today, at just 23 years of age, the former student from St Joseph’s High School at Albion Park has her own business which she plans on making a global success by the age of 30.

Lisa Trujillo Active wear has a massive online following – her gym apparel appealing to woman of all shapes and sizes.

‘’There’s real bright, funky designs through to earthy colours down to really basic blacks and greys,’’ she said.

Lisa started the brand just 18 months ago when she  was working as a gym manager.

‘’I’ve worked in the fitness industry for the past six years and over that time have built up quite a good reputation and quite a large client base.

‘’I constantly had women, mothers in particular, tell me they struggled to find comfortable tights to train in. So I decided to come up with a design that had a real high waistband to help tuck them in and make them feel great but also be functional and fashionable at the same time.’’

Lisa created her first pair of tights about 18 months ago and started selling to her gym clients.

‘’Looking back I don’t really like the original design that much but it was a start,’’ she said. ‘’A lot of the women just purchased the tights because they wanted to support me. They didn’t exactly love the design but they supported me regardless which was so refreshing to see.’’

Some days Lisa feels the heat of not having a regular wage - and questions her leap of faith.

‘’But I wouldn’t give it up for anything, I love what I do now and am so glad that I followed it through,’’ she said.

‘’This wasn’t something that happened overnight. I kept the security of a full-time wage for as long as I could to build it to a point where I could focus on it full-time and still survive.’’

Lisa has some advice for other young women wanting to start their own business but are afraid of the risks. ‘’Just start. Start with something and work from there. Do it on the side whilst working a job so you have the security and build it up to a stage where you can take it full time.

‘’Don’t be afraid of what people will say about you and don’t be afraid to make sacrifices. You will need to work hard and work a lot, but it’s always worth doing if it’s something you love.’’