73 PROFILE Tgohoedffeaelc-tor Hot Tomato Director, Alex Machin, sees challenges as a learning curve, and has built a successful and thriving business offering guilt-free, affordable products When did you start up and why? We started trading in a very modest way in 2007. I was working as an agent at the time we set up the company and ran both businesses in tandem for the first few years. Our first range consisted of one style of silk scarf in 24 colours from Vietnam – I sold them out of the boot of my car as I travelled around seeing my customers – those were the days! What prompted you to launch the business? I loved ‘agent life’ and had some great agencies and amazing customers but my creative side was not fulfilled, and I felt I needed to address this by doing something for myself. I had previously worked as a designer/buyer for a wholesale giftware company, and the idea of doing my own thing didn’t really phase me – it was a path I’d trodden well before, the difference being that this time I was risking my own money! What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? We chose to grow organically – buy a bit, sell that, buy a bit more etc. Long term that has proved to be our strength and has provided solid foundations for the business. The early days were very much hand to mouth and sometimes we were operating on vapours. We have to pay for everything up-front, before it leaves the country of origin and there can be several weeks (sometimes months) before we launch, so it can be a long time before we recoup any money for all our efforts – all this plays havoc with cashflow, especially in those early days. Working as an agent while establishing my own brand was demanding and I was stretched – thankfully all my agencies were supportive of me and encouraging which was a blessing. I think COVID challenged us all – it turned so much on its head but ever the optimist I would say it accelerated new ways of buying and shopping that have benefited us all. In truth I don’t really see challenges as such, I see opportunity and new experiences – every day is a learning curve! Tell us about your product offering. Primarily, our products offer customers that feel-good factor without breaking the bank. We’re about affordable fashion accessories from textiles through to all categories of jewellery. We also help combine a couple of significant bases for our customers in that we offer a guilt-free self-purchase – as a result of our pricing strategy as well as a desirable and affordable gift. What are your most popular products? As you might expect in fashion what’s hot and not tends to ebb and flow, currently we are seeing a marked resurgence in textiles, especially for the new Autumn/ Winter collection. I love textiles and studied fabric and textile design at college – scarves are what we started Hot Tomato with and traded in exclusively for the first couple of years. Since then we have diversified into all manner of fashion accessories – latterly earrings have been hugely popular – but ask me in twelve months and it could well be something else! Have any styles taken you by surprise with their popularity?
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