Joining us in the booth this week is Gbemi Okunlola, founder of Alonuko, a leading luxury bridal brand featured in Vogue, Bridges, Insider and more! In this episode we discuss: - Key principles learnt from her parents - Why she turned down 2 university offers to start her business - How she started Alonuko at 20 by accident! - Saving £15,000 & raising £15,000 to launch her first wedding collection - The steps it took to build her multi-million luxury brand - Vision for Alonuko and much more 🔗 Connect with Gbemi: https://www.instagram.com/alonuko_bridal https://www.instagram.com/gbemiokunlola 📩 Sign up to my mailing list to be the first to know about upcoming events: http://eepurl.com/hJEcLL 🤝Sponsor: Yesim - https://bit.ly/41OAO6i Get €5 off any plan with my code "savvy5" ➡️ Follow Savvy Wallet on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savvywallet TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@savvywallet 🤝Partners Tide - Earn 3.81% AER Variable on your business savings here: https://glnk.io/91954/ato8fr You'll get a free £100 when you use the code ‘SAVVYWALLET’ and fund the Instant Savings Account with £5,000 within the first 30 days. Ts&C's apply. New Tide members receive a 0.77% AER boost on the standard 3.04% AER on unlimited balances until 01/06/25, after that the standard rate applies with no interest earned on balances over £75,000. Rates correct as of 06/02/2025. Terms and conditions apply. Visit tide.co/savings for up to date rates. Check out our partners who offer Stocks and Shares ISA and more: ⚡️Trading 212⚡️(The investing platform I use) Get a FREE fractional share worth up to £100 when you open an ISA or invest account and deposit at least £1, using my link: https://www.trading212.com/join/SAVVY If you don't get the free share automatically after depositing £1. Use the code "SAVVY" in the promo code box. You can use this code for up to 10 days after opening the account. When investing, your capital is at risk. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and regulations which may change. Other fees may apply. ⚡️Hargreaves Lansdown ⚡️ http://hl.7eer.net/B0mz50 Capital at risk ⚡️Interactive Investor ⚡️ https://prf.hn/click/camref:1101l3RTLM/ar:SW Capital at risk Some of the links are affiliate links which means that we will receive a small commission if you make a purchase, however there will be no additional charge to you. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Preview 01:13 - Intro 01:48 - Meet Alonuko founder Gbemi 05:51 - Yesim Ad 07:21 - Growing up, I thought my family was rich! 12:53 - Principles my parents taught me 19:16 - I taught myself sewing at 11! 24:04 - My first time selling clothes 26:59 - Why I turned down 2 university offers 31:15 - Telling my parents I’m not going to uni 33:45 - I started luxury brand Alonuko at 20 by accident! 43:12 - Making wedding dresses made me feel more purposeful 44:25 - Deciding to make my first wedding collection 46:47 - Why the name Alonuko 47:17 - I saved £15,000 from my first business to start Alonuko 48:18 - I raised another £15,000 to launch my first wedding collection 55:53 - Alonuko’s first year of business made this 57:29 - I worked from 7am-12am every weekday for a year to grow my business 01:01:39 - How my business went from £20,000 to £1.3 million 01:09:15 - This is why companies can fail early on! 01:11:42 - What differentiates Alonuko? 01:18:23 - How Alonuko manages high level of expectations as a luxury brand 01:26:07 - Danielle Brooks buying a wedding dress from Alonuko 01:32:49 - How I’ve made an impact to Alonuko 01:37:15 - Biggest entrepreneurship challenges I had to overcome 01:44:17 - My team are everything to me! 01:45:15 - My vision for Alonuko 01:45:49 - Final words Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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