Former football player Calaum Jahraldo-Martin reinvented itself in the management of lifestyle.
It took a long time for the former Hull City football player, Calaum Jahraldo-Martin, to develop the seeds of an idea of a luxury lifestyle management service in a full-fledged business called Firstluxe.
With the co-founder Steven Haziza Metta, a friend of the former school, the entrepreneurs have built a list of niche customers by offering services from hotels and event tickets, with private charters And at yacht, not to mention more routine services such as personal purchases.
But the company, launched at the end of 2018, is now at a crossroads. The Chief Membership was recruited in the United Kingdom by the list of closely kept contacts by Jahraldo-Martin English Premier Leagueheld entirely by its 20 member clubs. However, the company widened the net to include an increasing number of Royals from the Middle East.
Forbes’ most recent 2024 The assessments of the football team placed six of these 20 English clubs in the world top 10, with Manchester United in second place (after Real Madrid), Liverpool in fourth and Manchester City, fifth. Jahrado-Martin football connections were therefore a perfect platform on which to build Firstluxe and this has at least 30 premier league stars as customers.
The Firstluxe team (in the hourly direction at the top left): Natalie Clarke, executive and personal assistant … (+)
Having seen two -digit growth growth since 2018, although the absolute figures are not yet three figures, the former midfielder has his eyes on a larger price. He wants to take the company to a more international arena leaving Great Britain in other regions. The Middle East is now a major objective and the United States is a future perspective.
It makes sense. Forbes is pre -eminent in monitoring the The richest billionaires in the worldBut in the post-countryic era, there is also a boom of millionaires in full swing which can be operated for the concierge services. According to the UBS Global Wealth Report 2024The number of millionaires is on the right track to continue to grow on the 56 markets analyzed by the bank. The United States had the highest number with nearly 22 million people (or 38% of the total) in 2023.
Huge variations in expenses
Firstluxe is not necessarily looking for customers with seven -digit banking sales. Jahrado-Martin, who will be 32 years old in April, says that if his business makes very high-end reservations for holiday villas and exclusive events outside Diary Hotels.
Membership fees started at £ 1,000 per year when the company has been launched, but is now about £ 6,000, or about $ 7,600 (plus 20% VAT) per person, with family subscriptions fixed £ 60,000 ($ 75,800) – as well as wealth helps. The company was profitable “almost from the first day” according to the former footballer who has an anti-English anti-German ancestry and played as an international for Antigua & Barbuda. It is now impatient to expand the list of customers, but not too much.
“We are not looking for membership of thousands of people. We prefer to have the right people and keep it below 250, ”he told me. This is enough to keep it exclusive and always make it a personal proposition. The reputation of Firstluxe is linked to the development of tailor -made services and its ability to meet each member in person during a typical year.
Expand the lifestyle mixture
To date, the list of customers of the client is decomposed as follows: 40% of athletes such as Premier League footballers and Olympic runners, including Usain Bolt of Jamaica; 30% of Middle East businessmen, including regional royals, and 30% of companies of companies made up of travel agencies and five-star hotels that outsource their concierge services.
Members have their own WhatsApp group dedicated through which all their requests are satisfied via the Firstluxe team, with a staff member dedicated only to personal purchases.
Purchases are important: “We obtain requests from Hermès Birkins, the latest fashion looks and limited edition items” – but it is not as important as components such as reservations for villas and hotels, or event reservations. At the front of travel, private airport services are another growing area.
Firstluxe has just joined forces with London Heathrow Airport which, this month, opened its improved private suite called The Windsor. The VIP offer includes drivers directly from the house to the plane, all the airport formalities withdrawn, a discreet butler service, exclusive dishes of Michelin Jason Atherton and a personal service – for a little more $ 4,800 (including VAT) for UP for UP for UP for UP for UP with three guests. Firstluxe plans to obtain a better rate for its customers.
The new “The Windsor” service at Heathrow Airport has just started and is in the views of Firstluxe for … (+)
A differentiating from other lifestyle management service providers is that the company also deals with real estate investments, organizes private banking services and private credits and will even buy art on behalf of customers. “These things separate us from competitors and show our highly personalized approach,” said Jahrado-Martin.
The company sends a regular newsletter covering everything that happens in terms of prestigious events, shows and new openings each month. He has his strongest palpeers on the ground in London, Paris and Dubai, as well as “escapades” destinations such as Courchevel and Mykonos, using third parties to facilitate everything, from formula 1 tickets to ski chalets.
Instant lifestyle management
“We are a one -stop shop. Customers do not need to go to a travel agent, a ticket partner or hotels for reservations, “said Jahrado-Martin. “We have all the expertise and contacts. Time is essence in the lives of these people and they trust us to deliver. »»
This confidence is essential to the company. While we are talking, Jahrado-Martin obtains a request for a customer message for a private jet from London in Dubai and he skips attention as you can expect from a practical owner-entrepreneur.
The external investment has not yet been provided and, so far, the co-founder does not think it will be necessary. “The company is developing comfortably and it hooks relationships and establishes good contacts and connections. We will pay attention to the way we extend and to whom we bring, “he said.
Firstluxe seems to have made a good call targeting the Middle East with its lifestyle services. While wealth was concentrated in fewer hands during the pandemic, places like the United Arab Emirates, for example, with its low tax configuration popular refuge. In 2024, the United Arab Emirates were the main destination for the rich worldwide according to The report on the private migration of Henley 2024. Last year, around 6,700 millionaires joined around 200,000+ which have already made the country their home.