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This Leeds woman quit her unhappy job – now she makes millions on Amazon
From selling items out of her kitchens to setting her sights on her first billion, this woman from Morley is an inspiration to all those who are unhappy in their current role
Omotayo Adebisihas come a long way since making the decision to quit her unhappy job. Now, she makes millions selling products online through Amazon and has her sights set on her first billion pound turnover.
In 2017, having not long gone back to work after having her first child, Omotayo found herself suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression. She was feeling unhappy there and at the time thought that she wasn't really suited for business, describing herself as more of a family person.
Then, one day she received a call to say her daughter had been taken to hospital and everything capitulated after she was told she wasn't allowed to leave the office to go to her sick child.
“For the rest of the day, I was literally in tears," she said, speaking to the YEP.
“The way I see it is that anything could have happened, she could have died, and I wouldn't be there."
That was the moment she and her husband decided it was time for a change - and she decided to take some time off and focus on other things.
It wasn't long before a family member suggested she try her hand at Amazon selling, and whilst she was quite sure she wasn't mentally ready to go back into the world of work her husband was intrigued and started looking into the idea.
Thinking it would be a good distraction for his wife, now pregnant with their second child, he encouraged her and after some serious trial and error, they found a niche that worked for them: selling seasonal toys, hampers, and gifts as an independant Amazon retailer.
Starting small, throughout 2017 Omotayo was operating her business out of the kitchen of her family home in Morley. However, it wasn't long until she realised she needed to expand and start looking at warehouses - prompted in part by an opportunistic burglary that happened right under her nose.
By 2018, the business had taken over the whole house: the kitchen. living room, garage, "everything." But the final kick to move things up a notch came when, that same year, Omotayo had her goods out on the drive all boxed and ready to go out for delivery with UPS when a van full of lads pulled over and stole it all right off the drive.
That was the final straw, she says, and they started looking for warehouse space the very next day. Settling on The Storage Room in Beeston, once they moved into their new premises everything kicked up a notch again.
Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Now, she employs eight permanent staff and as many as twenty seasonal workers to help her with her online Amazon shop in busy periods. Having now hit over a million pounds on her yearly turnover, she's got her eyes on more: with plans to expand from retail-only into manufacturing too.
The next step, she says, is to start her own brand - something she initially wanted to do from the very beginning.
Becoming a manufacturer will enable that, and she's already started producing Tilzmart branded sports equipment and hampers, with plans to add more products as the business grows.
This year, it's estimated her company will turnover £3million - but she's not stopping there.
Omotayo confesses she still suffers from stress and anxiety and says it has taken "a lot of self-training and dedication" to get to this point. However, she's now got her eyes on a new prize, a billion-pound turnover, and she's not letting anything stop her.
It's an inspirational story, and one that - following the pandemic - is likely to resonate with many who may have made the decision to change jobs or retrain in another area after having some time to reflect and realise they're not as happy at work as they could be.
Let Omotayo's experience be a lesson: no matter how scary or hard pursuing a new path may seem, with dedication, focus and hard work anything is possible.
Feature image - Jonathan Gawthorpe.
News
Government to investigate companies like Trainline and Virgin Atlantic for ‘misleading’ pricing
The Government is investigating a number of companies for 'misleading' pricing practices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched three new consumer protection investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School over concerns that customers were not shown the total price upfront when buying things like train and coach tickets, holidays, or even driving lessons.
The investigations are part of a wider CMA clampdown on misleading pricing practices - in this instance, where mandatory charges are separated from the headline price, or added later in the buying process, which is known as drip pricing.
These practices leave consumers facing 'unexpected' costs or having to calculate the so-called true cost themselves.
Such practices can also impact competition between businesses, as a firm using drip pricing may falsely appear to be cheaper than a competitor pricing correctly, and therefore attract more customers.
Trainline is being investigated over whether all mandatory fees have been included in the upfront prices displayed to consumers buying tickets in advance on its app and website, while Virgin Atlantic's investigation will focus on whether mandatory resort fees and local taxes have been included in the upfront prices shown to customers buying package holidays.
Trainline and Virgin Atlantic are among the companies being investigated for 'misleading' pricing / Credit: Northern | Aric Cheng (via Unsplash)
RED Driving School is being investigated over how a mandatory booking fee and 'digital' fee have been displayed to people booking driving lessons - specifically whether these fees have been included in the total upfront price.
"At a time when many households are watching every pound they spend, it is important that people are not surprised by extra fees," commented Emma Cochrane, who is the Executive Director for Consumer Protection at the CMA.
"Clear pricing helps people compare offers confidently and choose the option that works best for them.
"Unexpected mandatory charges make this much harder, which is why the CMA initially put these firms on notice over concerns about their pricing practices and is now opening formal investigations."
The CMA says it's at the beginning of its investigations and has reached no conclusions about whether these firms have broken the law.
If it finds there has been an infringement of the law, the CMA can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers or be charged up to 10% of global turnover.
Featured Image - PNW Productions (via Pexels)
News
Major new phone rule introduced at Wetherspoons after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
A major new phone rule has been introduced in all JD Wetherspoon pubs across the UK after customers complain of being 'driven nuts'.
The pub chain - which has nearly 800 branches across the UK - announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise - with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an 'increasing problem' in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be 'an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation'.
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: "Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones."
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are 'driven nuts' / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
Tim Martin added: "In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down."
Wetherspoon's ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for 'headphone dodgers' who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon's ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Georgina Pellant -
30th August 2021 
