By Rosie Murray-West

Copyright metro

Huntd has gone from strength to strength (Picture: David Adjei)

Serial entrepreneur Alexis Adjei co-founded fashion firm Huntd with her best friend Dara back in May.

Now, less than six months on, the ‘luxury for less’ brand is already turning over six figures, and even has a new app in the pipeline.

It’s been a lot of work, but with a Black British Initiative (BBI) MBA under her belt, the 38-year-old from Essex was able to put the ghosts of past businesses to rest and come out thrivinhg.

Here’s Alexis’s story, as part of Metro’s Down To Business series, in partnership with the BBI, showcasing the work of Black entrepreneurs.

So tell us about Huntd. Why did you start it, and how has it grown so fast?

‘My best friend and I have always loved luxury items. We didn’t come from a luxury background. We grew up in east London, both of us – in Hackney. So, you know, we have a little grit about us. And when we would buy things, we’d shop on eBay.

‘Dara started Huntd last May because she needed to buy shoes for a wedding and didn’t want to pay full price. It started as a side hustle. She was sharing luxury items she’d found on Instagram and people were re-sharing and buying them.

‘And then I thought, “Let me see if it would work for me. I have quite a big following. Let’s see how it would go.”

Alexis and her friend started their usness as a side hustle (Picture: Metro/Supplied)

‘We had hundreds and hundreds of women buying shoes and bags and clothes from us. We managed to get up to 90% off some of these items. People were lapping it up.

‘And then eventually we looked at each other and thought, “You know, we should make this into something that’s bigger than a side hustle.”

‘Our numbers grew pretty rapidly, and we did six figures in less than six months.’

How about the app you’re launching – what’s that all about?

‘We have members buying via a WhatsApp shopping group while our app is being built. We have over 1,000 members in our membership group and we also have paying members who pay £5 a month for full access to all our sales.

‘The app will allow us to grow more quickly. It should launch, hopefully, by the end of October or early November. We’re really trying to get it out before Christmas because that’s the best season for us.’

Alexis’ previous business endeavour Gym Bites had product stocked in Selfridges (Picture: Getty Images)

Is Huntd your first business or do you have a background in this?

‘I’ve dabbled in food and fashion. I had a business called Gym Bites with stock in Selfridges food hall.

‘The product was a salad in a jar and it came with a dressing you just pour in and a fork – so you just shake it and eat your salad on the go. I started that business because when I’d leave the gym, there wasn’t good nutritional food readily available after a workout.

‘It was a great business. But I had to close it after Covid.’

‘I don’t come from an entrepreneurial background. My mum has always worked multiple jobs to keep a roof over her head, God bless her – she’s an amazing woman.

‘My dad has always been a hustler. He’s had little businesses here and there but I didn’t live with my dad to see that. I just made that decision that I wanted to be out of the rat race and wanted to be rich. And I wanted to work my butt off to get there.’

What would you say was your biggest business influence?

‘It was a book. I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T Kiyosaki when working in retail and it changed my life. I quit my job a month later and set out into the world of fashion and wanted to take over.

‘I was young, I was ambitious, I was brave and knew what I wanted.’

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When you joined the Black British Initiative (BBI) MBA 30 programme, what difference did that make?

‘My husband, David, is also an entrepreneur – a brilliant man – and he was on cohort five of the BBI MBA and he finished and couldn’t stop talking about it.

‘And I was like, “I’m not joining, I’m not going back to school. I’ve already got a degree. I’m tired, I don’t want to learn any more.” But he encouraged me for the past year-and-a-half until I thought “fine”.

‘I’ve got so much out of it. When I enrolled, everything was going great but just before the first session I had a miscarriage.

‘It was very, very traumatising and I stayed overnight in hospital and realised the MBA was starting the next day. And I thought, “I can’t do this”, but weighed up the pros and cons and thought, “I just must get through this day”.

‘So my husband drove me in and I hobbled over and joined in.

‘I feel like God really used the MBA to strengthen me. Because if it was anything else, I would have cancelled, quit and stayed in my bed and cried forever, but it forced the strength in me – forced me to do this to better the future for me and my family.

‘I’ve met some incredible people. I’ve made great friends and learned so many lessons.’

Tell me one of the most important things you’ve learned from BBI…

‘About how to scale up and get funding. A lot of businesses don’t know how to scale, and black people don’t get enough money to explore our businesses.

‘With Gym Bites, I had no idea what I was doing. It was growing faster than I could walk. And I got so scared

‘I didn’t know how to raise money – had no idea. I didn’t have the support. This is why MBA30 exists – to educate us, to help us get access to that success. So, it’s been incredible.’

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What’s been your biggest challenge since becoming an entrepreneur?

‘One of the challenges, or struggles, is knowing when something is a good idea or when it should be put in the bank for later.

‘I’ve started or stopped so many businesses along the way – some that never made the light of day, some that started prematurely and closed quickly. It’s been just knowing what I should do a home run with.’

What’s been the biggest success so far?

‘I would say having a six-figure company in less than six months. It’s absolutely mind-blowing.’

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given – and why?

‘I have a friend at church. I came out of it one time and told him, “I just feel like a failure”. When he asked me why, I said, “Because Gym Bites hasn’t worked out like I wanted it to. I can’t manage the business. I’ve had to close it.”

‘I got really emotional. And he told me, “Listen, the fact you fail doesn’t make you a failure. It just means you go off and learn from your mistakes and apply them to whatever new business you’re going to do in the future. You’ve had the experience. Some people don’t have experience. You’ve had experiences, so now you know what to do better.”

‘I always remember that, and I always share that, even with my kids – that failing isn’t something you have to be embarrassed by.

‘You fail, you fail harder, you fail quicker, and you get up even quicker, and you learn from your mistakes.’

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What’s the ultimate dream for Huntd – its biggest success?

‘It being a global platform, with everyone using it all over the world. We always say we want to be the Net-A-Porter of luxury discounted items, so to speak.

‘And eventually we’d love to sell it off. Our exit plan is to sell – and sell it for, I won’t say a number, but a lot of money.’

What do you think the most important qualities are for an entrepreneur?

‘Firstly, I would say self-belief. You’ve got to believe in yourself. If you’re going into this thinking you can’t do it, then you’ve already lost half the battle.

‘Another quality is to not feel like you’re too smart to learn from others. If you think you’re the smartest person in the room – it’s already a done deal. Be slow to speak and quick to hear.

‘Also, the ability not to take it personally. When I look at back at Gym Bites, I took a lot of it personally. My mental health went in the bin after that business.

‘You’ve got to look at your business as a business. It’s not your baby.’

Tell us a bit about what you do when you’re not working – how do you manage your life?

‘Well, I’ve got two young boys, aged six and four, and at the moment it’s all about their extracurricular activities.

We’re always at karate or Mandarin or French club or swimming with them.’

And given the choice, do you choose a business brunch or business breakfast?

‘I’m a business breakfast person because I like to get things done and out of the way.’

Check out Alexis’ business at itshuntd.com.