'Receiving our 100,000 sales trophy was a proud moment': From retro football shirt side hustle to global brand, claw machines and rugby expansion

My journey with Shirt in a Box started long before the brand officially existed.

As a student, I was buying and selling retro football shirts on eBay and Depop, learning quickly how to spot value, build listings, and understand what made people click “buy.” I didn’t think of it as a business at the time — it was just something I enjoyed. But looking back, that was where everything started.

While studying Finance at Queen’s University Belfast, I began to see a bigger opportunity. I wasn’t just interested in shirts, I was interested in the behaviour behind them — why people collect, why they attach emotion to certain teams or designs, and how that passion could be turned into something more engaging. That’s when the idea for Shirt in a Box came to life: a mystery football shirt subscription that combined surprise, sport, and community in a completely new way.

The concept was simple but powerful. Instead of choosing a specific team or shirt, customers would receive a mystery football jersey. It removed decision fatigue and replaced it with excitement. Every box became an experience rather than just a purchase. What started as a small idea quickly grew into something much bigger than I expected — a brand with a loyal and growing community across the UK and beyond.

In the early days, I did everything myself. I built the website, ran marketing campaigns, handled customer service, and even managed packaging and fulfilment. There wasn’t really a choice — if something needed done, I just learned how to do it. Those first few months were a crash course in entrepreneurship, but they gave me a deep understanding of every part of the business.

At its core, Shirt in a Box sells mystery sports jerseys to fans and collectors. Each box gives people a new shirt to add to their collection while saving them money and creating a shared experience. But what really makes it work is the emotion behind it. It’s not just about the shirt itself — it’s the moment of opening it, the anticipation, and sometimes the surprise of receiving something you would never have picked for yourself. That unpredictability is what people come back for.

My typical day now looks very different from those early student days. I’m usually in the office before 8am, using the quiet time to set priorities and get ahead of the day. Mornings are a mix of operations, problem-solving, and quick decision-making. Afternoons tend to focus on team meetings, performance reviews, and developing new ideas. No two days are the same, and that pace is something I’ve come to really enjoy.

There have been some incredible highlights along the way. Reaching 10,000 subscribers was a major milestone — it was the first time I really felt the scale of what we were building. Receiving our 100,000 sales trophy in the UK was another proud moment, a reminder of how far the brand had come since its early days in a student room. On a personal level, shaking Joe Biden’s hand was surreal and completely unexpected — one of those moments that makes you stop and think about the journey.

Of course, it hasn’t all been straightforward. Cash flow challenges in the early stages were some of the toughest moments. At one point, PayPal held £40,000 for 90 days, which created real pressure and uncertainty. Experiences like that force you to learn quickly — not just about finance, but about resilience, planning, and staying calm when things go wrong. Even now, scaling sustainably remains a constant balancing act.

What I’m most proud of, though, is the team we’ve built. Seeing talented people join the business and believe in the vision has been incredibly rewarding. Culture has become one of the most important parts of Shirt in a Box. Everyone understands what we’re trying to achieve, and that shared belief is what drives the business forward. It’s no longer just my idea — it’s something we’re building together.

If I were starting again, the one thing I would change is hiring earlier and trusting people sooner. Like many founders, I tried to do everything myself in the beginning, and that slowed things down. Over time, I’ve learned that giving people ownership doesn’t reduce control — it improves outcomes. Good leadership is about trust, not micromanagement.

Looking ahead, we’ve recently launched Shirt in a Box claw machines, bringing the mystery shirt experience into physical venues for the first time. The aim is to scale this to 800 locations across the UK over the next few years, before expanding into the US and Ireland — you could say we’re now taking a shot at the world stage.

The upcoming World Cup is another major opportunity for us. Global tournaments create a huge wave of excitement around football, and we want Shirt in a Box to be part of that moment. We’ve also expanded into rugby recently, which has already seen strong demand, and we’re exploring other sports where the same concept can work.

From selling retro shirts online as a student to building an international brand, the journey so far has been unpredictable, challenging and incredibly rewarding. Every stage has taught me something new — about business, people, and myself. What started as a small idea has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined. But at its heart, Shirt in a Box is still about the same thing it was from day one: sharing the excitement of sport through the surprise of discovery.