Lounging with Alice Roberts

Lounging with Alice Roberts

June 2021

6 Min read


Lounge
Lounge June 05, 2021

By now, it’s no secret that we love catching up with our Loungers worldwide and Alice Roberts is certainly a loved member of our Female Family.

Aside from being an influencer with over 554K followers, Alice owns her very own jewellery business called The Littl which she invests a great deal of her time into. We like to think of her as the real life Superwoman!

Sadly, so many women still aren’t given the platform to excel in the entrepreneurial space, but we're here to tell you to reach for the stars and go after your dreams with the help of Alice. We decided to catch up with Alice on everything from starting her own business and finding success to women who have inspired her on her very own journey. If you ever needed some inspiration to start your own business or do something extraordinary, you’re definitely in the right place!

Read the interview below.

Alice Roberts

Thanks for chatting with us Alice. Firstly, tell us all about your jewellery brand, The Littl. What made you want to start your own business? 

I started The Littl back in 2015 in my second last year of my Interior Architecture degree at university. Summer holidays hit and I found myself with a lot more extra time than I thought I’d have, so I decided to look into starting a business to fill up those extra hours.

When I was younger, my mother and I used to hand-make jewellery and sell it at the markets, and even before then, I used to hand-make bracelets from rope and sell them to my friends in primary school for $2, haha!

I’ve just always loved jewellery. I love that every piece has a story - it can bring you back to a place, a person, an experience, a moment, and you get to keep that forever.

In terms of starting a business, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial side to me, and I find business ownership fascinating. Working for other people was also a huge struggle for me. I didn’t like that any of my achievements or efforts were never recognised when I was working so hard everyday to make someone else’s dreams come true. I just saw no value in it for me and I needed a change. Starting my own business seemed like the obvious choice and having it be based around jewellery was just a perfect fit for me.


Have you always had an entrepreneurial drive? 

Yes! I’ll elaborate a little more from my last answer.

I was always that kid that asked 1000 questions, always curious about people’s jobs, always asking intrusive questions about income, how they got to where they were etc. In my head, it was never “rude” or “inappropriate” to ask these questions because I was genuinely curious, interested, and motivated/inspired from these conversations.

I also loved making my own money from a young age. I would always find ways to make some extra pocket money, whether that be creating mini pop-up restaurants for my family (and charging them 2 euros for the meal, haha), creating random jewellery pieces and selling those or doing some gardening work for my family, etc. I found everything I did not only rewarding, but fun as well! I loved the entire process from start to finish. Growing up with that kind of drive, enthusiasm and passion, it was clear that I’d eventually go down that path as an adult, but on a slightly bigger scale.

 

In 2020, you also launched The Littl Swim - incredible! Have you found juggling two businesses difficult? 

Thank you!

It’s definitely been a lot of work, that’s for sure! But I’m really lucky that I already had a lot of knowledge on how to run a business, how to design a website, etc. I’ve always wanted to own a swim label and decided to bite the bullet and launch in the middle of the pandemic by stocking other brand’s designs until I could bring out my own.

I’ve been working on my own prints and designs for almost 1.5 years now and I'm probably a few months away from finally having my final designs ready to go and re-launching Littl Swim, which is super exciting! Most people don’t see how much work goes into starting a new business, but even the design process in itself has been so time consuming and challenging. Plus, all the hours spent on The Littl means my days go rather fast. I’m also working on a new and very exciting secret project which will be launching in the next two months! It seems that I have become a bit of a serial entrepreneur!

I have an amazing support system around me and I’m lucky to have a team of incredible women who work on the businesses with me and assist me with my day-to-day activities. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them.


 

Do you think women are supported enough in the business space?

I was fortunate enough to be able to build my brand in my business mostly independently, but in the few times that I did seek outside help, I was very fortunate to meet a very collaborative and welcoming business community. There are quite a few amazing FB groups for women in business where anyone can get advice or support, and these pages can be invaluable for those who are a little lost in any part of their business journey.

I think that the hardest part for most business owners/women is to reach out and actually ask for help, but for those that do, I’ve found that people are more than willing to be there, listen, and help in however way they can. I’ve personally also made sure to forward that same entrepreneurial supportive spirit to anyone who’s ever reached out- there is so much power in women supporting women, and it’s a beautiful thing to see and be a part of.



How do you switch off and take time out for yourself? You must be so busy!

I am indeed! My days usually start at 10am and finish between 12am-1am (sometimes even 2am), but I’ve taught myself to really enjoy my moments off. My partner and I love cooking, so when lunch or dinner hits, we put all computers and phones aside and spend quality time cooking together, playing some board games, etc.

We also do a weekly dinner with family and make a conscious effort to go out for dinner at least once during the weekend, and make time to catch up with some friends. I’m still working 6-7 days a week, but those moments of leisure inbetween work are just perfect, and more than enough for me.

 

Let's talk Lounging. Do you have any go-to Lounge pieces when you're not on the go?

Ugh, so hard to choose! I’m obsessed with literally everything on the website but my faves would have to be the Bold Mesh Bra & Thong, the OG Triangle Bra and Thong, and any of the Intimates Sets and Bodysuits. If I could live in them, I would!

Alice Roberts


Which women inspire you?

There are a lot, but the top 3 would have to be Oprah, Beyonce & Angelina Jolie.

Oprah because she made her own success and she's taught me that it doesn’t happen overnight - she would also be an amazing role model for young women and men and I just love everything that she stands for. Beyonce, because of her skills as a boss a** business woman, all whilst staying grounded and focused, and carrying herself with nothing but grace. And finally, Angelina, because she cares about the human race and uses her influence for good (plus her movies are all incredible!)

 

Finally, what do you do when you need a bit of a confidence boost?

Put some fake tan on (because everything’s better with a tan, let’s be real), get dressed up, have a wine, throw some music on and hang out with my family or friends. They always manage to put a smile on my face.

 

Thank you for chatting with us, Alice! We can’t wait to see where you go from here. The sky truly is the limit.

Loungers, we hope you’re feeling just as inspired as us, whatever it is that you are wanting to do, the best time to start is now! Don't forget to check out more of our Lounging With Series with some more of our incredible Female Family including Nelly London, Adison Justis, Haley Kalil and more.