Ollie Forsyth (8 February 2017)

Ollie Forsyth left school aged 16, following in the footsteps of one of his idols Sir Richard Branson. He came to realise at a young age that school wasn’t for everyone as he detailed numerous accounts of being bullied by other students. However, having the entrepreneurial mindset Ollie decided to start his first business aged 13. It was an online gift shop which sold one product in five colours before getting in touch with a supplier which allowed him to broaden his catalogue. He described this business as “an Amazon for teenagers”.

Fast forward three years and Ollie launched The Budding Entrepreneur Magazine aged 16 to inspire young people who are interested in business. He explained that the inspiration behind this came from his disappointment in learning the sheer amount of people who had a business but no network on which to build. This magazine led him to also create The Budding Entrepreneur Club.

Ollie then showed a video of the launch night at The Shard which had special guests such as Levi Roots (of Dragons’ Den and Reggae Reggae Sauce) and Alfie Best who both spoke on the night. Ollie claimed his magazine has never paid for marketing, saying that his numbers grew organically. He encouraged people to surround themselves with the right people and “knock down every door until you get to where you want to be”. He also encouraged his listeners to find a mentor, business partner and/or a finance person. He discussed determination, dedication and focus and labelled these “the three ingredients for success in business”.

Based on a report by Jordan Amadi-Myers