'I quit minimum wage job and now make £50k a month'

Jack worked as a warehouse picker to earn enough money to start his recycled shoes business

A young entrepreneur who quit his minimum wage job as a warehouse picker says he is now selling £50,000 worth of pre-loved trainers a month.

Jack Long, 22, launched Recycled Streetwear in April 2023, operating out of a commercial unit in Buckinghamshire.

He started his entrepreneurial journey aged 12, selling family members’ unwanted items on eBay with "the plan" of eventually launching his own business.

Jack said the risk was worth it, despite working very long hours.

He added: "I just want the business to keep growing more and want to change the way people shop online. I want to be one of the biggest retailers for pre-loved shoes in the country."

Jack got the idea of selling pre-loved trainers after buying a pair at a car boot sale and selling them for a profit

After leaving college in 2021, Jack worked as a warehouse picker with the aim of saving enough money to launch a business. He said his family had "mixed opinions" about whether he should make the leap.

"Obviously, now it’s paid off but there was definitely some tension," he admitted.

In March 2023, he finally had his eureka moment after spotting a pair of Nike Air Force trainers at a car boot sale.

"I was just helping out a family friend, and we saw a pair of trainers and it basically went from there,” Jack added.

"It was all luck from that point.

"I think I paid £15 for them and sold them for £30, and then I was like, ‘I can definitely do something with this’."

Jack said he wanted to give the shoes "another life" and prevent them going to landfill

To begin with, Jack sold around 30 trainers per month, but since joining the real-time shopping app Tilt, he says he now sells around 1,500 a month, bringing in £50,000 every month.

Jack said: "The £50,000 is not enough, that’s how I feel.

"I’m not content with it really.

"There are so many overheads, I’m putting most things back into the business."

Jack claimed he worked 24/7 sourcing, cleaning, and authenticating shoes, while livestreaming himself showing the available trainers in the evenings.

“I’d say nothing personally has changed since I started the business – I’m just busier and just constantly working,” Jack explained.

He has several staff on trial shifts in the hope of hiring new people to help with livestreams.

Looking to the future, Jack hoped his business would continue to grow and make even more of a positive impact on the environment.

He said: "Hopefully, bit by bit, we can eventually get in touch with the right people, and we can intercept the shoes before they end up in landfills, do them up and give them another life and then people can get them for a really good price as well."