THE SUPERPOWER BEHIND A WIRRAL BUSINESS

Meet Alfie Brown, an entrepreneur from Bebington, Wirral. The 26-year-old is the brains behind Wirral Webs, a growing sportswear business that sells rare and in-demand designs.

We spoke to Alfie about his business journey. With a sparkling personality and unfiltered honesty, he told us he has Asperger’s and that the personality traits associated with this are behind his business success. In his own words, here is the story of how Alfie grew a venture that started in his bedroom during lockdown into a booming business.

The beginning

“At school, I was a bit of a class clown”, says Alfie. “But my mum reckoned it was more than just cheekiness, and when I was eight, she got me assessed. It came as no surprise to her that I’m on the Asperger’s spectrum.”

Alfie left school with 8 GCSEs, but his entrepreneurial spirit had risen to the surface long before that: 

“At junior school, I was running a car washing gig, and also hunting down and selling lost golf balls! I stayed on at school for A-levels, but they didn’t work out.”

During the years that followed, Alfie jumped from job to job:

“Zero-hours contracts, dead-end gigs, you name it, I did it. I must have had about twenty different employers. I did get some experience in customer service and warehousing, but ultimately, nothing stuck. It was obvious to me – and everybody else – that I am not cut out to be an employee.”

From hobby to hustle  

“Lockdown landed and I was stuck on Universal Credit, bored out of my mind,” Alfie recalls. “I wanted a hobby, so I started buying old trainers, up-cycling them and either gifting them to friends or selling them for what it cost me. Just for fun at first, literally from my bedroom.

“It didn’t take long for things to start happening. I noticed how obsessed people were with trainers. And I became an expert in trends, watched how rare designs were in demand and started my Instagram account.”

Then the whole thing turned on its axis. He told us:

“I have the Nike Air Max 95 to thank for my success. The trainers, aka ‘one-tens’, were selling like hot cakes, as my Nan would say! When originally launched, the design smashed through the £100 price tag and is still known as one-tens today because they cost £110. It’s an iconic trainer.

“Whenever a new release was around the corner, I jumped on it. That strategy took things to a whole new level. And all of a sudden, this was no longer a hobby. I had an enterprise to run!”

Levelling up with Spark

Demand was taking off, and Alfie realised he couldn’t wing it forever. He needed to work out if it was a viable business in the long term. He explains: 

“I was faking it until I made it. I had zero clue about the legalities and the business side of things – I was fumbling through them all! But all the while, I had this energy driving me forward.”

About the same time, his dad spotted Spark, a programme for young entrepreneurs in Wirral, which Alfie joined:

“Spark was a game changer. I got skills in managing my time, learned what I needed to do about finances, and started understanding the role of cash flow.  

“With Spark’s help, I got everything under control; they showed me how to make it a serious venture. We got the business registered and sorted my self-employed status – all the official stuff. I was able to step back and see I had the makings of a great business.”

Traits as business strengths  

For Alfie, his Asperger’s is his superpower:

“The classroom was too structured for me. I was always jumping too far ahead and thinking about other things. This came to the surface as unspent energy, and when you’re self-employed, you can never have too much energy! So, it’s definitely this that pushes me forward.”

It seems pushing things in directions people don’t expect can lead to success. Alfie says:

“Socially, I’ve never been afraid to ask for anything, which is another valuable quality for business. With some of my requests, people might say, ‘you can’t do that!’ but I don’t let that hold me back!”

“My ‘cheeky-chappy’ personality with my strong focus on the truth is another positive quality in business. I also have the ability to narrow down my focus when doing things that interest me, which is great for sticking to the task at hand. And my direct way of communicating is appreciated by the massive network of stock suppliers I have built up over the last couple of years.”

The future of Wirral Webs  

Alfie has already hit massive milestones, but has much bigger aspirations.  

“Today I’ve got formal premises and an office, with typically more than 1,000 pairs of trainers in stock. Most of my sales are UK-based, but recently I’ve had orders from Japan and Australia. The international market is definitely in my sights.”

He’s tackling branding and marketing next. “That’s one area I don’t feel 100% confident in yet, but I’m on it. Plus, I’ve hired a local accountant to take the financial workload off my plate.”

Alfie’s ambition knows no limits: “I’m always questioning myself and wondering how to do better. Zuckerberg says he has Asperger’s, and look how far he’s taken his ideas! It’s my superpower and drives me forward.”

We’ll undoubtedly hear about more success for Alfie Brown and Wirral Webs.