Entrepreneur Alice Hall turned £90 into the online fashion success that is Pink Boutique. More recently, she has turned her attention to Rowen Homes, a business set up with her husband in 2020. That business has also seen momentum, growing into a 30,000 sqft warehouse and office space in Gateshead as well as its first retail store at the Metrocentre.
What was your first job (and how much did it pay)? My first job at 16 was working in a self-service video shop, which at the time was so progressive! It had little ATMs where you could choose your DVD, and the robot from behind the machine would drop your chosen movie into a hatch for you to collect. I was mainly there to sign new people up and sort out any issues. It was a pretty cool gig because I got to watch movies when there was no one else in. I remember I used to get a bus and a metro after 10pm to go home which was a little scary but character building! I was paid minimum wage - whatever that was at that time - probably about £4.50?
I absolutely loved working and, for the first time, having my own money and bank card to spend it. I felt like a real grown up. To me at that age, working was like playing shops or libraries. In my head I was a secretary, using the number pad on the keyboard and tapping away. It was the start of me falling in love with work and realising I could maximise the hours in my life to push forward with my career
