Business Lives | Lara Morgan, British entrepreneur and founder & former CEO of Pacific Direct

When she was 23 years old, Lara Morgan set up a company called Pacific Direct that sold toiletries and amenities to hotels.

After hitting annual revenues of 360k as a one man band, Lara employed a team and expanded the company to trade in 110 countries, before selling her majority stake in the business for £20m in 2008.

In an intimate interview for the Business Lives podcast, Lara speaks candidly about her career, which began winning the Dorchester as her first client pitching in borrowed clothes, and took her to the Pyramids at 4am before a meeting in Cairo, yet also included what she describes as the “loneliest” years of her life.

Since selling her stake in Pacific Direct, Morgan has become a respected investor, released two books, and competed as an elite triathlete – achieving 10th place at the World Championships in Beijing.