Barclays Black Founder Accelerator 2020 member
Lockr Space
Lockr Space is online sportswear marketplace that has been designed to bring you the upcoming sports brands and save you looking for them. The best independent, innovative and sustainable products all in one place and at the click of only one link.
Born from three sport enthusiast’s who wanted more than just your mainstream brands and who care about quality and performance whilst championing sustainability.
Built for the everyday athlete who wants apparel for all their needs whether it is home-based, street-based, pitch-based or gym based.
Why did you join the Barclays Black Founder Accelerator?
To accelerate the growth of our business, learn from other entrepreneurs in similar positions and build a solid business plan.
What would be your desired outcome from this programme?
A concise strategy for how to move the business forward and navigate the sports ecommerce world that encompasses technology plans, marketing, recruitment and investment.
Which entrepreneur inspires you the most and why?
Bill Gates - He created one of the most revolutionary companies that was primarily customer centric, which is a concept we have only recently been taking more seriously in the past few years. Also, his charity has performed well across the world.
What has been your biggest win in your entrepreneurial journey?
Our biggest win has been confirming and winning our first supplier for the website, we have 3 more in the pipeline to be boarded and 4 more who are waiting to launch their own brands.
And your biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenge has been building supply and demand at the same time. We are working hard at both areas as we race to go live.
Where did you go for business advice and how did it help you?
Currently, we go to trusted websites and use well known books such as "The Lean Startup" and "The MOM test" which have helped guide our principles for building the business.
What drives you to make your business a success?
The problem we are solving which we all feel quite passionate about as sportswear in the UK is limited to a handful of retailers and the growing market size of sportswear.
What advice would you give other founders thinking about starting their own business?
Until you speak to customers and push a product to people, you will always have assumptions about what is right or wrong. Make actions!
Why did you want to start your business?
Starting a business has always been exciting, especially one in an industry that I care so passionately about. Being the main decision maker and also solving problems in different areas of a business is something I have always enjoyed.
What do you do to relax when not working?
Sport (watching and playing) is a great stress reliever for me, so is reading and playing video games where possible.
How has covid made you pivot your business?
COVID has helped our business as it has encouraged many to start home workouts and pushed many to buy their sportswear online.