What would you do if you had a six-figure salary? Perhaps you’d never cook another meal again or indulge in a monthly Thai massage and a Soho House membership to unwind from the stress that comes with being at your A game.
Here at The Good Life you don’t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live life.
Today Fortune meets Hanushka Toni the founder and CEO of Britain’s fastest-growing luxury reseller, Sellier.
The 35-year-old law graduate was a creative director at Relevance, a marketing agency in Monaco, before quitting her job and moving back home to London to open a second-hand shop with her mother just before the pandemic.
Enter Sellier.
£2500
The cost of each average order.
The Knightsbridge boutique has gone from selling nearly 500 items in the first year, to selling around 250 pre-loved designer bags, bling, and more each week, with each order averaging around £2500.
It’s now got a cult following on social media—with 168,000 followers on Instagram alone—six new stores including one in her old stomping ground, Monaco, as well as a new partnership with high-end fashion giant Flannels.
Frasers Group-owned @flannelsfashion has partnered with luxury reseller Sellier to roll out permanent concessions in its stores in Belfast, Liverpool and Glasgow following pop-ups last year. https://t.co/QFFTC0YTns#luxury #flannels #sellier #frasers #retail #fashion pic.twitter.com/x7TBVn9n61
— Drapers (@Drapers) June 18, 2024
This interview has been edited for brevity.
The finances
Fortune: Do you carry a wallet?
Hanushka Toni: I don’t really need one; all my cards are on ApplePay and I rarely carry cash. I always get stopped in the street for having my Hermes Kelly bag open (they are a pain to close) but the most anyone could ever steal is a hairbrush and keys.
What do your childcare arrangements look like?
I have two children: a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. For working mothers running their own businesses, like myself, life is a constant balancing act. Some days, I leave early in the morning and return home only after the kids are already asleep. I'm fortunate to have found a nanny who has become like family to us; she has been with us from the beginning, and I can't imagine managing without her. My parents also live just two doors down, which allows us to spend a lot of time together as a family. One thing I deeply appreciate about my own mother is that she never made me feel "mum-guilt" growing up. She taught me that doing your best is what matters, and if you're happy, your children will be happy too.
What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Don’t take a job for the money. Take a job for what you can learn and for the passion.
I went to law school and started my career as a City lawyer for many reasons, but a significant reason was financial pressure to be independent. But if I had stayed in a corporate job, I would never have achieved the same financial freedom as someone running their own successful business. Undoubtedly there is always more risk in starting a business, but I really think that when you do things out of passion, it’s really hard to fail.
Don’t take a job for the money. Take a job for what you can learn and for the passion.
Where’s your go-to watch from?
Over the years I’ve managed to collect quite a few pieces I love. My everyday go-to is a gold vintage Rolex with a stone tiger-eye face.
What’s your go-to work wardrobe?
Unsurprisingly, I love getting ready for the day. I rarely shop on the high street and prefer contemporary or luxury brands like Staud, Cult Gaia, Christopher Esber and Margiela. I avoid brands like Gucci, Dior or Valentino who all have a very strong creative direction, as I feel like the clothes almost wear you. I spend a lot on my wardrobe every season and keep a very curated edit of 15-20 pieces. I then resell nearly everything with Sellier and start again.
The necessities
How do you commute to work?
I walk absolutely everywhere which gives me time to think and recalibrate. Our London stores are all within a short distance of each other so most days I’m running between locations, meeting the team, engaging with clients, overseeing our stock pipeline and taking meetings with brand partners.
How do you get your daily coffee fix?
Answering this I’ve realised the scale of the problem. I have 5 single espressos a day at my gym or local coffee shop; always black with nothing extra. I might also have a tea in the evening with 2 lumps of sugar. Occasionally I might add some excitement to my day and throw in an oat latte. Overall, I am incredibly high-energy, so I don’t really know if the caffeine does anything but it’s a habit that makes me happy.
Do you have lunch al desko?
Everyday is different but I tend to avoid having lunch at my desk—it’s the one part of the day where I get to slow down. There’s a rotation of places I go to; Dover Street Arts Club, Zuma or one of the restaurants in Harrods. On the rare occasions I eat at my desk I’ll order a Nando’s spicy chicken wrap.
Where do you buy groceries?
I do a weekly online shop on Ocado. I have everything added to my favourites and it takes me 5 minutes to check out—it’s an incredible time-saving tool when you compare it to physically going to the supermarket, loading your cart, checking out and getting it all home. Very occasionally I will do a “real” food shop in Wholefoods which I actually really look forward to, as it’s not normally something I have time for.
How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home?
I rarely cook because I get home pretty late most days. Fortunately, the children’s nanny will always make something tasty and homemade whilst they are at school. Sometimes I’ll pick at it when I get home but a lot of the time I have emails to do, so I’ll do emails over a beer, maybe read something and go to bed.
The treats
How do you unwind from the top job?
Every two weeks my husband and I will catch a play in the West End. We’ll walk through Hyde Park to the theatre, watch something with great reviews and afterwards grab drinks and a late dinner. I absolutely love theatre and used to read lots of plays when things were less hectic, so this is definitely a guilty pleasure.
Then there are the more obvious things like catching up with close friends, spending time with family and also meeting new people.
What's the best bonus treat you've bought yourself?
My last bonus, I bought my husband a rare Audemars Piguet watch. There was no occasion but I was shopping alone and the manager of the store showed it to me and I ended up buying it. It was the Navy 50th Anniversary edition. It wasn’t technically a treat for myself but it made me feel so good getting him that—and he loved it.
Take us on holiday with you, what’s next on your vacation list?
I do a lot of short frequent trips for work and I really enjoy city breaks. For holidays, we will go as a family to the same hotel in the Maldives every Christmas and New Year. It’s amazing as it feels like home and all the same people go every year who I now call friends. I am very much a “people-person” so don’t enjoy destinations that are too quiet.
The rest of the time we try to go to new places. The next place I am going to is Berlin. I’ve never been but can’t wait for the sightseeing as I’m a bit of a Cold War geek and love immersing myself in the history of places.
Here at The Good Life you don’t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live life.
Fortune wants to hear from European leaders on what their “Good Life” looks like. Get in touch: orianna.royle@fortune.com
