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Taking Tilz Collection to the next level
From a £5,000 investment to a business approaching £5 million in annual revenue, Tayo Adebisi has built Tilz Collection by spotting opportunities in the gifting market. Now, as a Black In Business winner, she hopes to take the brand to an even bigger audience and accelerate its next stage of growth.
Read time: 3 mins Added: 27/10/26
From online selling to Tilz Collection
Tayo Adebisi didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. After leaving her job in financial services, she began selling products online in 2017, experimenting with everything from musical instruments to toys. With no background in eCommerce, she learnt by paying close attention to what customers wanted and where there might be gaps in the market.
That eventually led her to gifting. Tayo began creating hampers and food gift sets and, as demand grew during the pandemic, she developed Tilz Collection around a simple idea: thoughtful, premium-feeling gifts at accessible prices.
Today, the brand offers gifts ranging from coffees and spices to hot sauces and hot chocolate, designed for occasions throughout the year.
But building the business hasn’t always been straightforward. In the year Tilz Collection launched, the business experienced a significant loss and Tayo was advised that it should close. She chose to keep going.
“I had a vision. This is the brand that is going to take us to recovery, and this is the brand we’re all going to go with.”
That persistence has helped take the business well beyond its beginnings. From an initial £5,000 investment, Tayo says Tilz Collection is now approaching £5 million in annual revenue and has expanded into international markets, generating more than £2 million across its export markets.
For Tayo, the focus has remained on creating gifts that feel special while staying accessible. “We want people to feel like they’re putting thought into what they’re giving. It has a very premium feel, and it’s at affordable prices.”
Taking a chance on Black In Business
Despite what she had already achieved, Tayo nearly didn’t apply for Black In Business. Having seen the impact the initiative had on previous winners, her team believed Tilz Collection was ready for a bigger platform. Tayo was less certain. “I was too scared to fail,” she says.
Her team encouraged her to take the chance, putting together their first ever pitch and they won. For Tayo, the win is both an opportunity to grow the business and a moment to recognise how far it has already come.
Tayo Adebisi Founder, Tilz CollectionIt’s been beautiful. It’s been really beautiful. I took a whole week to just bask in the glory of winning this.
As a Black In Business winner, Tilz Collection will receive £200,000 of TV advertising, a bespoke TV advert and six months of tailored marketing and business mentorship. For Tayo, the mentorship is particularly valuable. Having largely built the business without an experienced mentor, she sees the opportunity to learn from others as an important part of taking Tilz Collection forward. “I haven’t been fortunate enough to have a mentor. For me, actually, before the awareness, it was the mentoring I really needed.”
The TV campaign also gives Tilz Collection the opportunity to reach millions of potential new customers and build greater recognition for the brand.
Building a bigger gifting brand
Tayo already has ambitious plans for what comes next. She wants Tilz Collection to become a recognisable year-round gifting destination, with customers returning whenever they need a present for family, friends or colleagues, rather than discovering the brand for just one occasion.
Alongside building awareness in the UK, she wants to continue growing internationally, strengthen the company as it scales and create more jobs. Ultimately, her ambition is to double the size of the business over the coming years.
Winning Black In Business could help open some of those doors. For Tayo, it also provides an opportunity to inspire other Black entrepreneurs. Since the win was announced, she says people have already contacted her to share how her story has inspired them and to ask for advice. She hopes to pass on some of the knowledge and opportunities she gains through the initiative. “There’s no quicker way to get people seen than this.”
From starting with £5,000 to approaching £5 million in annual revenue, Tayo still sees plenty of opportunity ahead. “It’s not about how you started. It’s about where you’re going.”
Tune in to Channel 4 from January to see the Tilz Collection Black In Business advert.
Delivering game-changing advertising opportunities
Read more about the other Black In Business winners and what they hope to gain from the initiative.