Former Big Issue Seller Is Now CEO Of Multi-Million Pound Company But Still Wears His Vendor Bag

A homeless man who used to sell the Big Issue now owns a multi-million pound company and claims that selling the magazine taught him to keep his feet on the ground and remain humble.

Philip Waltham worked as a Big Issue vendor in London for three years after fleeing his Hull home when he was a teenager.

Waltham found himself sleeping on the streets in London and began selling the magazine to support his £30-a-day heroin habit.

However, after receiving assistance from Big Issue distributors, he was able to overcome his addiction.

Waltham, 44, credits his time selling the magazine with giving him the financial acumen he needed to launch Bulk Vintage Wholesale, a £9 million-a-year sustainable fashion company that helps to combat the problem of fast fashion.

“The Big Issue let me put money in my back pocket and feed myself,” Waltham added. They were a huge assistance to me.

They taught me how to respect myself, how to budget my money, and the importance of having a roof over my head. I needed money to buy Big Issues in order to sell them, and this taught me how to budget.

“Selling second-hand clothes has saved my life, and I wouldn’t be here right now if it hadn’t been for The Big Issue and my discovery of second-hand clothes.”

Waltham claims that he applied the skills he learned selling the Big Issue to buy and sell garments, and that he had his own booth in Camden within two years.

Waltham has grown from strength to strength since founding that market stand, and now owns Bulk Vintage Wholesale with his partner, one of the country’s largest sustainable fashion enterprises. He also owns and operates two high-street stores, The Vintage Stores, in Newcastle and York, and plans to open two more in Liverpool and Manchester.

Despite his enormous success, Waltham refuses to forget his roots, and he even carries a piece of old clothing with him at all times as a memento – his Big Issue bag.

He said, “That Big Issue bag goes everywhere with me and has done for all those years since 1997.” “It has shaped who I am now.” It keeps me humble and grounded.”

“I’d love to see someone read my story and if it helps to give one person a positive vibe that they can do something to get to where they want to be in life,” he continued, “for what The Big Issue has done for me.” That would be fantastic.”

Waltham is now asking people to embrace the Big Issue because of how much it has transformed his life.

“I know firsthand how difficult it is to be a merchant this time of year,” he said. Please go out this winter and support vendors by purchasing a magazine or donating to The Big Issue’s Winter Appeal. “Since the Big Issue has aided me, please consider assisting them in assisting others like me.”