Choosing between the stability that a corporate career offers and the creative control and sense of fulfillment that comes with entrepreneurship can be difficult. So why not take both paths?
Antoine Grant decided to have the best of both worlds, holding a position in a corporate scene while being a business owner. But ultimately, to truly excel he had to choose which he wanted more. Grant consequently left his comfortable corporate job to pursue his passion for entrepreneurship. In less than a year, he went from working at Wayfair to owning an online home furniture company with $30 million in revenue.
“It took years for me to get to that realization of looking into the mirror and saying, ‘Okay this is what you’re actually good at. This is what you’ve been prepared to do. Go and take advantage of this opportunity, which matches your skill set and relationships,’” Grant said about what inspired his career pivot.
From his childhood antics, it was clear that Grant was destined for a successful entrepreneurial path. He was envisaging running side businesses as early as elementary school. In fifth grade, he turned a fictitious card and brochure company into reality fueled by demand from his classmates. Grant went on to create side companies throughout his schooling but timing was constantly interfering with his business plans.
After college, Grant worked as a consultant advising and investing in technology companies focused on business and product development. He earned an MBA and worked for leading firms such as Compass and McKinsey & Co. On the side, Grant was investing in startups, technology, and real estate.
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He found a cushy job as a general manager at Wayfair, an online home furnishing company. He led and grew the Plumbing, Vanities, and Hardware businesses, which have a combined revenue of $1 billion and double-digit growth. Grant went from being an internal strategist to seeing what happens when interacting with customers and suppliers. This would be vital for his next step.
Despite the stability of his corporate job, Grant desired ownership. He decided to step out on his own and pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Devising strategies and building relationships with venture capitalists, he set the foundation for his business. Grant purchased Homethreads, a company in the home furnishing, home decor, and home improvement space in 2023. It combined the passions he had garnered and the work that he did as a strategy consultant. In less than a year, he had gone from being an employee to owning a multi-million dollar company.
Homethreads generated $30 million in revenue as of June 13, 2023. Grant plans to tap further into the $340 billion U.S. furnishings, home improvement, and decor market. Driven by a passion for quality and commitment to customer service excellence, he aims to build an empire with his new spin on AI for the direct-to-consumer company. Homethreads has the potential to be the next Black owned unicorn.
“This particular platform that we have, I honestly think it’s a multibillion-dollar platform. The market is massive. I think that there’s an ability to create these billion-dollar institutions between the toes of these giants. All the dynamics are there…We’re well positioned given our five years of history, the revenue that’s currently being generated, which is substantial, and the new profitability of the company to grow this substantially over the next couple of years,” Grant said of Homethread’s potential.