As a young entrepreneur, I often reflect on the peaks and troughs of my journey. I’ve experienced great success at times, but it can sometimes be an incredibly lonely experience, with only the pressure and responsibility of the company’s success as a companion.

That’s exactly why it’s important to find a community where you can, to find solace in and support each other. The doubts and small successes we’ve all experienced as entrepreneurs is the glue that unites us. In reaching out, I’ve been able to find support when I needed it, and provide it when another was in need.

After sifting through the young entrepreneurial talent of today, here’s a showcase of 10 Young Entrepreneurs to watch in 2020.

Grace Beverley, 23 - TALA, SHREDDY and B_ND

Ethical and affordable. Those are the two principles that ground Grace Beverley’s business ventures in the fitness industry. She set up her first company - B_ND, which produces vegan-friendly resistance bands - whilst studying in her first year at Oxford University and has been storming the fitness market ever since. Grace constantly strives to find innovative solutions for gaps within the marketplace, and this has certainly paid off. Her workout app SHREDDY offers workout and meal plans that are tailored to your goals by algorithmically generating a programme to fit your preferences - an expert service without the premium price tag. In May 2019, she founded TALA, an activewear brand whose on-trend staples are fashioned from 92% reused materials, from factory offcuts to plastic bottles. On top of that, they’re designed to flatter all body types, and are marketed inclusively. She’s committed to providing alternatives to fast fashion that are accessible to younger customers with less disposable income: “It’s all well and good shouting at people saying you need to be more sustainable,” she says, “but very few people can afford a £100 pair of leggings.” Her success has earned her accolades including NatWest’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year and being named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Europe.

Advice:

“Hone your concept: take constructive criticism, make your idea better, develop a rebuttal for the usual criticisms and take any negative comments as a blessing as they are helping you to become better. Any criticism is an opportunity to pre-empt what consumers might think and gives you an opportunity to strengthen your idea to the point of sale”.

Timothy Armoo, 25 - CEO and Co-Founder of Fanbytes

Timothy Armoo, 23, never saw himself as a student, but always a founder. Armoo is the co-founder and CEO of social media marketing company Fanbytes. As a prophet of platform changes, brands approach Armoo when they wish to target content at Gen Z. He recognises that the youth of today will always seek new, alternative platforms to socialise on. This is something Timothy prides himself on: the ability and willingness to adapt to change. Through his input, his ads typically outperform traditional ads by 4:1. Fanbytes’ expertise on the social platforms used by 13-25 year olds is their winning card. The CEO advocates channelling your focus on the smallest possible market if you wish to stand out in the market.

Advice:

“Focus on serving the smallest possible market and delight them. It can be easy to think everyone is your customer, but focusing on being incredibly valuable to a small subset of your audience is critical to making you stand out in the market”.

Nina Rauch, 25 - Lemonade

After her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Nina Rauch was inspired to create the charity Pink Week, aged only 16. It seeks to raise awareness of breast cancer among young people. The charity has successfully raised over $500,000 and is now a national endeavours. Her efforts are being recognised - she was named a Future 100 by Barclays. Its success made Nina realise that though young people are able to raise significant amounts of money, more than half of all UK Donations are from people over 60. She believes the target audience of non-profit organisations is in desperate need of revision. Gen Z must be championed as one of the most progressive and ethically-minded generations, coming of age during movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo. She now also works with Lemonade and founded 30|30 Connect. The former, an insurance company, includes charitable donations in its profit model through its ‘give back’ scheme. The latter serves to network local charities with leading professionals in the hope of synthesising the profit and non-profit worlds. She is a catalyst for communities to form around the united drive to help others and improve the world.

Advice:

“Build a strong - and diverse - team. I couldn’t have founded Pink Week without my co-founder, Kate Davis. We balanced each other out, and my weaknesses were definitely her strengths. Your project will only ever be as successful as the people who show up for it”.

Jack Parsons, 26 - The Youth Group

An ambassador for young people who lack formal qualifications and feel let down by the system, Jack Parsons sees improving the odds for young people as his mission. Known as ‘The UK’s Chief Youth Officer’, he seeks to help them secure placements, apprenticeships, mentors and employment. Jack founded The Youth Group in 2017 after his experience of a difficult childhood and being neglected by teachers. He passed his GCSEs with flying colours and - despite being encouraged to pursue construction - secured an apprenticeship with an insurance broker. It wasn’t long before he became involved in recruitment. A lesson he wishes to pass on to young entrepreneurs is to confront tasks one step at a time. Jack sympathises with the younger generation who, like himself, struggled for support, and is ensuring someone is standing up for the youth of today. Now aged 26, he has been celebrated as ‘the most connected young entrepreneur’ and won the Young Digital Leader of the Year award in 2017.

Advice:

“You have to be present in everything you do. Over 500 things will come flying your way at one given time. You may feel overwhelmed, feel like you want to stop, that you no longer want to be an entrepreneur, so this is why it’s so important to be present in the moment and in the task that you’re completing. If you focus on trying to complete all 500 tasks, you’ll end up completing none”.

Ben Francis, 27 - GymShark

From studying full-time at university and delivering pizzas nightly to being founder of the fastest growing company in the UK in 2016, Ben Francis has proved that he’s a big fish. Founding Gymshark, aged 19, in 2012, Ben juggled a hectic lifestyle of academia, working a part-time delivery job, and running a company. His enterprise began by creating his own workout wear when he couldn’t find a design he liked. After two years of this tiring schedule, Gymshark was achieving annual revenues of around £250,000. By surrounding himself with an incredibly talented team, he was able to build this company into a success. On realising the true potential of this success, he dropped out of university and quit delivering pizzas to focus on his business. Seven years on, the company now turns over £230 million a year. He preaches that “no great feat was achieved by an individual alone”.

Advice:

“Build a great team. I’m extremely fortunate to be surrounded by an incredibly talented team. Each person is much more skilled at their specific area than I am. As soon as you can begin to build that team, you should start, as no great feat was achieved by an individual alone”.

Urenna Okonkwo, 27 - Founder of Cashmere App

Millenial women who struggle to manage their money need not look any further than Urenna Okonkwo. This money messiah speaks to the women of her generation who, like her, want to find a way to buy luxury items “without feeling guilt” and seek advice outside of the “stale non-interactive service which you get from banks”. This was the motivation behind the Cashmere App, which was released in 2018. The app helps modern, trend-focused millennials save towards and purchase luxury-fashion without digging into their personal savings or falling into dept. The idea was born when Urenna went to Harrods with her friends and resisted spending her money on a £600 pair of heels. Having always projected her career in the direction of financial services, she didn’t know how to create an app. This led her to connect with other founders, learning the best route to take. Falling into this career, yet nurturing it into the success it is now, it’s no surprise, then, that she was named as one of the '25 most inspiring female entrepreneurs under 25'. Cashmere has evolved from a simple saving platform to a way millennial women can learn about saving, invest in their future and even buy property.

Advice:

“Build something you actually care about. The entrepreneurship game is really tough and you're more than likely to fail, so picking something you genuinely care about/have the domain expertise to build (which also has the scope to scale) will help make the tough times worth it”.

Kofi McCalla, 23 - The Unknown Vlogs

Capitalising on the ever-growing video platform YouTube, Kofi McCalla began a fashion series known as ‘The Unknown Vlogs’ in 2016. It now boasts over 100 million views. Kofi is recognised as a crucial influencer in menswear and streetwear, elevating the men’s fashion community Hypebeast to a celebrity-like status. It is for this reason he is a household name within the culture. He claims he never meant for it to get this far, since his student budget prevented him accessing the luxury brands he was so interested in. Nevertheless, to overcome this, he travelled with his friends to these stores, looking and trying on pieces they couldn’t afford. Being only initially motivated by finding new London spots others could also check out, the accidental influencer has built an enterprise that has collaborated with the likes of Drake and which continues to grow at an accelerating rate. 

Advice:

“The feeling of self-doubt is mainly influenced by those around you”.

Teri Elizabeth Ellington, 23 - Ellington Timepiece

Mental illness can severely impact a person’s wellbeing and productivity. Let 23 year old Teri Elizabeth Ellington be a shining beacon for all those who struggle. She has found strength and purpose in her unique watch line - Ellington Timepiece Ltd.  Teri admits to battling depression, anxiety and agoraphobia throughout her life and by being the young entrepreneur of a successful watch line, she preaches “If I can do it, other young people can, too.” Founded in 2017, Teri built the watch collection as a platform to raise awareness about mental health so that she may support those who also suffer from it. Despite starting her company in her bedroom with just £80, the company went on to sell out in the Middlesbrough House of Fraser in 2018. She has since started a social media movement called #yourstoryetp. Through this, a community of watch lovers who also wish to share their own journey has formed. Teri has recently secured a £35,000 loan from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, which she hopes will serve to further “help increase and maximise her business.”

Advice:

“Take care of yourself mentally and physically and do not to allow yourself to become too overwhelmed with thoughts of failure and mistakes. I believe as a young entrepreneur we get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we constantly criticise ourselves. Remember you are only human and you deserve to have success just as much as the next person. Work hard and be kind”. 

Ben Towers, 21 - Towers Design

A prodigal son of enterprise, Ben Towers proves that age truly is just a number. At age 11, he started digital media agency, Towers Design, after a family friend challenged him to make a website. After teaching himself the necessary skills in website design and business, Ben’s company began to grow, employing freelancers while he completed his education. Required to stay in full-time education to age 18, Ben became the first person to employ themselves as an apprentice, after completing his GCSEs. He sought to make the most of every opportunity. In 2014, aged 16, Ben was awarded ‘Natwest Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ and has been referred to as one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs by Sir Richard Branson. In 2017, the teenage entrepreneurial titan completed a multimillion-pound merger with Zest the Agency, exiting the company later that year. Ben now looks to the worldwide health movement, creating an app to support the next generation with their mental health and support connecting with others. Ben Towers is universally acknowledged as an entrepreneurial force, and Michael Mercieca, the Former CEO of Young Enterprise, claims his “humble yet passionate approach is refreshing and a testament to the potential of the next generation.”

Advice:

“Network network network! In business, it’s all about how good you are at finding and utilising opportunities. Then when you get a good opportunity to go for it! Stop spending ages worrying and start building and learning”. 

Leanne Holder, 26 - BecauseRacecarBox and Vitamin Coffee

Channelling her passions as a health enthusiast through her entrepreneurial ventures, Leanne Holder, 26, has had explosive success with her enterprises. After her role as Strength and Conditioning Coach was axed, Leanne saw the opportunity to become the entrepreneur she had always dreamt of becoming. In 2017, whilst also working as a personal trainer, she launched BecauseRacecarBox. After six months of juggling the two, she committed to her new company. It supplies car enthusiasts with detailing products directly to their door. It remains to be the market leader in its industry, turning-over £300,000 annually and growing. Her newest chapter, co-owning Vitamin Coffee, came about through identifying and filling a gap in the market. This company aligns with Leanne’s drive to motivate healthy living. Since buying the business, sales have increased by 110.2%. Leanne’s success as a young female entrepreneur shines bright in this typically male-dominated sphere.

Advice:

“I would say; be prepared to really sacrifice so much. Sacrificing your free time, your social life and your lavish spends will seriously put you ahead. You HAVE to give it your 100% - and then even more than that”.

It’s hard to not be inspired after hearing their stories. By reaching out to these determined and focused entrepreneurs, I feel like I have built bridges within the community. As a result, I have not only gained an insight into what it means to be a successful entrepreneur, but given them the recognition they deserve. That doubt experienced as a young entrepreneur is dissolved by the thought that these individuals reaped what they sowed. It can be difficult, but success comes to those who put in the work.

What advice would you give to those trying to get their own business off the ground? Whatever it is, be sure to share it. If not on this article, then to a friend or colleague. If this has reinforced anything, it’s that finding your place in a community is paramount, especially as an entrepreneur.