From £1,000 to £1 Million+ : How Sally Wynter Bootstrapped MUHU Gin to an Exit in 5 Months

What does it really take to bootstrap a startup to exit in just 5 months?

Sally Wynter's story is the definition of a modern bootstrapper's dream. How many founders can say they received two acquisition offers within five months of launch and closed a seven-figure exit by age 25? With no connections, no capital, and no entrepreneurial role models, Sally grew up on free school meals in North London. When she started, she had to Google "what is an entrepreneur?" Yet she launched MUHU, the UK's first CBD-infused gin, from her bedroom with just £1,000.

In this episode, Sally tells her story of resourcefulness to launch her brand. She reveals the details of her "underdog playbook": how she taught herself PR, used her journalism skills to land national press without spending a penny on ads, and staged her first product photos with a house plant and sparkling water to generate enough pre-orders to fund her first production run. We also dive deep into the whirlwind acquisition process, what it's like to navigate a seven-figure deal as a 25-year-old solo founder, and the bittersweet reality of what happened to her brand after the sale.

Sally also opens up about the personal side of the journey, including a tough year of burnout, overcoming personal trauma, and the mental toll of founder life. 

She shares how she's now channeling all her experience into Hunch, an AI-powered platform that's helping young job seekers discover careers, land their first roles, and break into well-paying industries. Hunch’s mission is to democratise access to opportunities that were once only available to those with connections and insider knowledge.

Agenda:

• Growing up on free school meals: North London, five siblings, one bathroom, and the "fire in the belly" it created.

• Winning competitions as a life hack: How Sally landed a freelance role at ITV News while still at university.

• The MUHU origin story: A trip to Southeast Asia, experimenting with spirits in a hostel during a tropical storm

• Why CBD was the perfect Trojan horse: De-risking innovation by pairing it with something familiar (gin).

• The £1,000 bootstrapper's budget: Launching a spirits brand for less than the cost of a laptop.

• The house plant trick: How Sally staged her first product photos to unlock pre-orders and fund production.

• Your story is your marketing: How journalism skills and national press led directly to acquisition offers.

• The 5-month timeline: Navigating two acquisition offers and a seven-figure deal at 25.

• The psychology of a fast exit: Imposter syndrome and becoming a millionaire overnight.

• Life after exit: Reprogramming a "poverty mindset" and the unexpected stress of home renovation.

• Her second act: Building Hunch to democratize career opportunities for Gen Z

• The toughest year: Opening up about burnout, mental health challenges, and personal trauma

•  Quick fire: The biggest myth about entrepreneurship

Resources and Links

Sally's Ventures:

• Hunch: AI-powered career platform helping young job seekers land their first roles

• PaperRound: Journalist-led PR training course for founders

• MUHU Spirits: The UK's first CBD-infused gin (acquired 2020)

Sally's Investments:

• Thursday: Dating app focused on real-life connections

• Ikó Drinks: Canned maté-based beverages