Sach Kukadia, Co-founder and buying director at Secretsales.com, tells Retail Week about his life working in retail.

Sach Kukadia

What was your first job in retailing?

My father, who was a shareholder in Pepe Jeans, had me working from the age of 11.

Which retail company do you admire most and why?

I admire Topshop as a fast-fashion retailer. Its product is so far ahead of the curve.

What is the trait you least like in yourself and why?

I have always had obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Everything in my life has to be a certain way.

Who have you learnt most from in your retail career?

My father has always been the one person to teach me the most about business values and expectations.

What advice would you give someone starting out in retail?

Don’t be scared to start from the bottom. It teaches you the importance of having a job and the responsibilities of working for someone else.

What keeps you awake at night?

Occasionally a business can grow too quickly. I have been unfortunate to be in this position more than once and not knowing whether the business is going to succeed has kept me up many evenings.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

I regularly see new faces and learn of new processes, which for me is the most satisfying part of my job.

What’s your proudest achievement?

Raising four multimillion-pound investments for Secretsales.com during the most difficult economic climate the UK has seen to date.

What job would you have done if you hadn’t become a retailer?

Retail is in my blood. From the age of 16 my ambition was to be a fashion buyer at TK Maxx.

What’s your favourite shop and why?

Cavendish in northwest London. What makes this store unique is the product mix and the visual merchandising.

What was your last purchase?

A blazer and two suits from Hermès about a month ago.