From Pregnancy Project to Profitable Enterprise
A resourceful mother from Kent has demonstrated how entrepreneurial spirit can flourish even during major life transitions. Liv Needham, 27, began what seemed like simple decluttering while pregnant in June 2024, but has since scaled it into a substantial home-based business generating up to £2,000 in monthly profit.
The Humble Beginnings
Facing the imminent arrival of her son and recognizing she had "way too much stuff in the house," Needham started listing unwanted clothing on popular reselling platforms Vinted and Facebook Marketplace. Within just three weeks, she earned nearly £1,000 simply from items she no longer needed. This initial success revealed an unexpected opportunity to create supplemental income while preparing for motherhood.
"I was so desperate to be a mum – we had a very long journey of getting there, we ended up doing IVF – but I didn’t want to lose myself by not having a hobby," Needham explained. "I wanted something that made me feel excited, made me feel like I had motivation, and I just had that fire in my belly to start something new and to see how far I could take it."
Strategic Scaling and Niche Development
What began as casual decluttering evolved into a deliberate business strategy. Needham started visiting car boot sales and charity shops, sourcing items she could resell for profit. She discovered a lucrative niche in premium branded menswear and womenswear, including sought-after labels like Nike, North Face and Patagonia.
However, after her son's birth in November 2024, her available time diminished dramatically. "The baby needed feeding every two hours, I couldn’t be traipsing around the shops," she noted. This challenge prompted her to seek more efficient sourcing methods that would accommodate her demanding schedule as a new mother.
The Wholesale Solution
Needham's search led her to Fleek, a wholesale app she discovered through TikTok, where she documents her reselling journey as @thelivneedham. The platform allowed her to purchase specific bundles from global suppliers, eliminating the uncertainty of "blind shopping" where most items might be unsuitable.
"My favourite thing about Fleek is that you can buy exact bundles… so it’s not blind shopping where you might get something good, but actually 90 per cent of it is rubbish," she emphasized. "You know exactly what is in there."
This wholesale approach proved transformative, enabling her to source larger quantities of stock in mere minutes rather than spending hours physically searching through shops. "I could order a bundle of 20 items, it would take me 20 minutes to order online, and then it was going to arrive with me a couple of weeks later," she described. "It was a big time-saving hack for me in terms of being a mum with a newborn, demanding baby."
The Daily Routine
Needham dedicates approximately two to three hours daily to her reselling business, strategically utilizing her baby's nap times and evenings when her husband is home. During these windows, she photographs items, creates listings, and produces content for her TikTok channel. This disciplined approach allows her to maintain both her business and primary caregiving responsibilities.
"You don’t need any skills… you don’t need a really big outlay of money to be able to get started in it… You can literally start with what’s in your house," she advised aspiring entrepreneurs. "I think the flexibility of it and the ability to take it as far as you want: If you want it just to be a little £50 extra a month, or if you want it to be £1,000 extra a month, you’ve got control of how much time and energy you put into it to be able to scale it."
Financial Impact and Future Goals
Currently, Needham's business generates between £1,000 and £2,000 in monthly profit, with the pre-Christmas period being particularly lucrative. The additional income has provided crucial financial support during an expensive life stage. "And obviously, babies are very expensive, so it was great having that spare money," she acknowledged.
Her entrepreneurial success now supports a meaningful personal goal: saving for a second round of IVF treatment to expand her family. This financial independence represents more than just supplemental income—it embodies empowerment during a challenging fertility journey.
Essential Advice for Aspiring Resellers
Drawing from her experience, Needham offers three key recommendations for those considering similar ventures:
- Conduct thorough research: "Do your research. You don’t need to be listing things for £2, £3. You can get so much more for your items if you make them look really well presented in your photographs."
- Diversify sourcing strategies: "Venture out into sourcing your stock from as many different places as possible – from your own house, from friends and family, from looking in charity shops and going to car boot sales, looking into wholesale."
- Engage with the community: "Get on TikTok. Get in the community. Share your journey. The opportunities that can come your way, the communities that you can become involved in from doing that, makes it so much more than just making a bit of extra money."
Needham's journey illustrates how modern digital tools and platforms have democratized entrepreneurship, enabling individuals to create substantial income streams from home with minimal initial investment. Her story serves as both inspiration and practical blueprint for others seeking to balance caregiving responsibilities with financial independence and personal fulfillment.
