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Conversation with Alfie Best, the self-made millionaire from a Romany Gypsy background. If you have ever been on a caravan holiday, it is more than likely that you would've found yourself on a park run by Alfie Best as he is the owner of Wyldecrest Parks, the largest residential park operator in Europe with over 450 employees and 75 Residential and Holiday Parks located across Britain. On top of this, he also has investments in nightclubs, bars, golf clubs and many other ventures. The businessman has been so successful with his ventures, that he has deservedly racked up millions of pounds, so many millions in fact, that he was listed in the Sunday Times Rich List 2019. However, things were not always plain sailing for Alfie as ‘If Only They Knew’ found out after speaking to the entrepreneur... Alfie grew up in a similar way to many other Romany Gypsies, living in a caravan for much of his early life. In fact, Alfie was actually born in a caravan, by the road side somewhere in Leicester, to be precise, as his family had driven up from East London the night before. After many cases of bullying from both sides of the fence (bullied for being a traveller by his classmates whilst also being bullied by fellow travellers for being in a uniform), a young Alfie Best was faced with issues of the real world very quickly. At age 10, Alfie began his entrepreneurial journey, knocking door-to-door offering to tarmac driveways, left school at 12, was buying and selling cars at 14 and founded a van rental company at 17! This is how his days of making money began. "I thought I really could walk on water” Suddenly, things took a deep, dark turn. The recession in the early 1990's meant that Alfie was losing money fast. The pressures of the divorce process, mortgage repayments and more, meant that the entrepreneur had no option but to sell the majority of his goods - from his prized Porsche and all of his vans. For 3 months, he was living in his Ford Escort van and struggled heavily with money. Despite the struggle, Alfie's eye for opportunities definitely wasn't blinded as he spotted that the mobile phone industry was still doing well during the recession as he witnessed the heavy footfall in a phone shop he was sat outside. So, in order to get back on his feet, he got a job as a phone salesman while sleeping rough in order to get back on his feet. Of course, in true Alfie Best fashion, he quickly became one of the best salesmen there, racking up enough commission to buy his own shop called Volatec. Alfie also saw the opportunity to use his knowledge of caravans effectively, so he bought a mobile home park with 120 homes - worth £1.7m! All of this is what has led Alfie to become the success he is today, “I looked up to my dad as he was, and still is, a workaholic and even today, at 72, works 7 days a week - which I believe, is where I get my work ethic from“ Despite him being a successful entrepreneur, Alfie doesn’t see himself in that way as such, feeling that he needs to do a bit more to prove that he can spread his wings and still be successful at the ”end of the term” as many people who call themselves entrepreneurs only succeed with just 1 venture. Best likens being successful in the business world to being successful in Boxing, a sport that he has had much experience in - being an official Amateur Boxing coach himself at one point. “If you want your hand held high, you’ve got to give more. You’ve got to fight more. You’ve got to push more. You’ve got to be smarter.” We asked Alfie to look back on his outstanding journey to see if there was 1 thing he wish he knew at an earlier stage, to which he said: ”I wish I knew and understood how to Finance property much better than I did”. But either way, whether he knew how to finance or not, Alfie Best has gone on to achieve great things and now, his son, Alfie Best Jr, seems to be following in his father’s successful foot steps - appearing on multiple TV shows such as ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune’ and ‘Absolutely Ascot’. We at ’If Only They Knew’ wish both senior and junior the best of luck in their journey. To read more stories of young entrepreneurs & business minds, take a further look at ‘If Only They Knew’: Podcast Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Facebook To keep up with Alfie’s journey: Instagram Twitter Facebook

Meet Grace Beverley, the young entrepreneur taking the fitness world by storm Grace Beverley is the 23-year-old who stopped pursuing a law career to focus on her new career as a fitness influencer. The influencer started off with a seemingly fortunate start in life, attending prestigious schools such as St Paul's Girls School and Oxford, but undeniably, her success has everything to do with her own determination and talent. Grace started off by posting photos of her fitness progress, but in a short space of time, people began to fall in love with both Grace's progress and personality. Fast forward a short space of time and the media really began to pick up on Grace's progress, being featured in major outlets such as The Sun as the next big thing in the influencer industry. They were right. In 2020, the influencer now has over 1 million followers on Instagram alone and runs multiple businesses. "I was working with a lot of activewear brands, but noticed how much I’d want to change the products if I were making them myself" The business woman runs TALA, B_ND and Shreddy, all brands that have stemmed from Grace's early days on Instagram and were funded by the workout plans that the influencer used to sell as well as the money from her brand partnerships - all made whilst Grace was at University. Staying true to her fitness roots, Grace started a range of affordable and ethically produced resistance bands to fill the gap in the market of bands that were either really low quality or really expensive. This was the beginning of B_ND, a company that sold 10,000 products within the first 30 minutes of going live. “I looked into manufacturing to see how we could produce an affordable product, while still being ethical and we ended up making resistance bands and vegan barbell pads” After seeing great success with B_ND, Grace went on to provide a subscription service with Shreddy that includes workouts, recipes, mega plans and more. In May 2019, TALA was born. This brand provides female sports wear made from 92% reused materials - such as plastic bottles. The 1st collection from TALA sold out in just 20 minutes! Looking forward, we are sure that Grace and her brands will evolve even more in 2020, hence why she was on our 'Top 10 Young Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2020' list. To follow Grace's journey, visit: Instagram Twitter To hear more stories from young entrepreneurs, follow If Only They Knew - the hub for young business minds: Podcast Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Meet Amy Leary, the 20-year-old owner of The Cosmetic Tattoo Amy Leary is the 20-year-old entrepreneur that is proof that you can run a business whilst working full time as she runs a company called The Cosmetic Tattoo. The Cosmetic Tattoo will look after all of your microblading and aesthetic needs and has seen huge success, making profit in their first month of business and has seen over 100 clients. The entrepreneur from East Sussex wanted to started a business in order to replicate her fortunate upbringing for her future kids. “I wanted to start a business so I haven’t got to rely on anyone else and be financially independent! Also I love meeting new people and having a gossip so it was a no-brainer!” On top of running the business, Amy also works full time as a Marketing Manager, balancing both the 9-5 life as well as life as an entrepreneur. This naturally comes with issues as the business woman says that her biggest obstacles has been managing all of the bookings and making sure that she is on top of stock levels. As Amy is such a young entrepreneur, it was only right the 'If Only They Knew (the hub for young business minds) spoke to Amy to find out what her advice for others would be. The advice I would give to others starting the same business would be to ignore all the negative comments from haters and push through with what you believe. If you'd like to follow Amy's business journey, visit: Amy Leary - Instagram The Cosmetic Tattoo - Instagram To hear more stories from young entrepreneurs, follow If Only They Knew - the hub for young business minds: Podcast Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

So it's that time again, The Apprentice UK is back! Although you see the show late in the year, the application and then the filming process starts from the very beginning of the year. In January I applied for The Apprentice 2019 (season 15), a few weeks later, I was then invited to the audition stage of the process. The audition day is broken down into several rounds of tasks but some candidates are sent home after the first round if they are not successful. If you make it far enough, you will record a short video on the day - so be prepared for it all. Here are some of my tips for your audition. Audition Tip 1: My first tip for The Apprentice audition is to talk, talk and talk! This is crucial if you want to have any success in the selection process. Remember, this is not like a job interview in the sense that your CV and experience can positively outweigh your shyness, ultimately, this is for a TV show so if you're not TV-worthy (confident and outgoing) then you will be stopped in the very 1st round. Audition Tip 2: Due to the large amounts of people, it can take several hours to get yourself through the registration stage on the day. I arrived at 11:30am & did not leave until 5:30pm. Therefore, it's VITAL to bring food and drinks for yourself and if you want to make a good impression with some of the other candidates then perhaps bring something you can share with them - I brought bananas 🍌😂. Audition Tip 3 This is one may seem obvious but in the application details the media team send you, they do not mention anything to do with a business plan. However, it is important to have a plan with you just in case you get through the rounds as one of the final rounds looks heavily into your business idea. If you haven't got a physical plan with you, then make sure you know your facts and how your business will work. Audition Tip 4: My fourth and final tip would be to use this not only as an audition but also an opportunity for networking. Bring some business cards, exchange numbers if you can (your not supposed to be on your phone) and generally just get to know as many people as you can - remember, the winner of the process could be sitting next to you! Enjoy the process, take it all in and remember that only a handful get through and you can always apply next year. If you enjoy The Apprentice, then check out our interviews with previous candidates on our Instagram or on our website. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifonlytheyknewuk/ Website: https://www.ifonlytheyknewuk.com/blog/categories/the-apprentice

If you're a fan of If Only They Knew, then you MUST have seen The Wolf of Walthamstow - AKA Nathan John-Baptiste. Who is the Wolf of Walthamstow? Nathan came to the spotlight when he made tens of thousands of pounds just selling sweets in school! Since then, he has been heavily involved in trading, helping other young people do something positive with their life - whilst making money! Nathan was recently on the Steve Harvey show in America (which, if you didn't know, is a BIG deal!), the Wolf talked about his hustle from the bottom to the top. It's so good to see someone so young doing so well for themselves, especially when we've seen the journey from the early stages. You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAFX1gpG4tU Follow The Wolf of Walthamstow on Instagram: @TheWolfOfWalthamstow

Who is Bobby Cummines? Bobby Cummines is a former hitman and armed robber from the London crime world, dominating his field throughout the 1970's. He was dubbed as Britain's youngest armed robber after holding up a post office with a sawed-off shotgun at age 16. Since then, he has changed his life around and was rightfully rewarded with an OBE for his charity work. Despite his criminal background, Bobby declines the title of gangster and suggests that he was a businessman whose business was crime as he was very good at organising things and earning money. How did Bobby's criminal journey begin? Bobby was born and raised in a straight-going, honest family. Bobby was also straight-going up until the day he had a dispute with police officers at age 15, which led to them stitching him up with a razor blade - suggesting that he was in possession of it. Because of this, he was forced to plead guilty which meant that he lost his job - which then awoke the criminal within him. Due to the lack of work and money, he got involved with the local firm (gang), his organisation skills led to him leading the firm at age 16. His first big crime was an armed robbery at 16, from there, he has been arrested for and accused of multiple murders and shootings. The numerous years of prison time and court visits allowed Bobby to meet a variety of crime figures such as the Kray twins and the Richardsons. Despite playing somewhat of a villain role, Bobby stays true to the code of his era which was both respect and honesty. "If you want respect you have to earn it. The only way you earn it is by treating ordinary people with respect" What is Bobby doing now? Bobby is now a anti-crime campaigner, helping to rehabilitate ex-convicts and those in trouble with crime. Because of the positive impact of his role, he was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his efforts in helping others that were in a similar position to himself at an earlier age. "The Queen told me I had a really colourful background and she was pleased to award me the OBE" He has also been asked to sit upon multiple government committees and has spoken to children at multiple schools in order to push his message as well as helping to change policies regarding crime and young people. His role as CEO of Unlock, the national association of reformed offenders, played a vital part in the rehabilitation of offenders. Bobby's reflection on the crime world Looking back after years of imprisonment, tragedies and bullet wounds, Bobby dismisses any romantic notions about the crime world. "It's a joke. That world is hell. You're totally paranoid" What can young entrepreneurs learn from Bobby Cummines? Looking at Bobby's story, there are some implicit similarities between his life as a criminal and the life of a young entrepreneur. It is clear that the more organised and courageous individuals amongst us often find it easier to dominate within an industry as they take centre stage - this is both the same for the criminal and business world. Therefore, us young entrepreneurs may want to work on our organisational skills as well as our confidence (by trying new things and testing your limits) in order to excel in whatever avenue of work we go down. Moreover, the idea of respect and honesty is also key as it is argued that the lying world shown in the likes of Wolf of Wall Street are dying and the world of honesty and community spirit is now more prevalent. Similarly, Bobby has also spent many years helping others, which may be a great thing to do for entrepreneurs that are starting off as this allows you to help others in a similar position to you and they will help you in return. One may be reading this wondering why a criminal is being glorified, in which case, I would say that I am not glorifying the crime but instead, I'm praising Bobby for turning his life around and pro-actively helping others to avoid going down a similar path. As the great Rafiki (from The Lion King) once said: "The past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it" If you know any great stories about people changing their lives around and helping others, please let us know by commenting below or contacting me via Instagram @IfOnlyTheyKnewUK

Who is Jake Lee? Jake Lee is a young entrepreneur, who dropped out of University to run (what is now) a multi-million pound business. Jake was raised in Borden, Kent and was studying Economics as part of a 4 year degree at Loughborough University - although he saw it as a waste of time and left to begin his entrepreneurial journey. "University is the biggest con in the world" The entrepreneur set up a trading company after becoming interested in the trading world at age 14, when his Dad encouraged Jake to look into the industry. He solidified his interest in trading after completing an internship at age 16 with investment bank, Unicredit. Throughout his A-levels and University, Jake studied the ins and outs of trading, such as Forex, giving him the knowledge needed to set up his own trading company - now known as 'Improve Your Future Trading'. Due to Jake's trading expertise and the extensive efforts of his team, he has now built 'IYF Trading' to a stage where it is worth £2million. The team consists of 7 permanent staff members, all under the age of 25 - with 13 freelances also on board. This proves that age is not a barrier to success. However, Jake had not always been destined for a clear path to success, having been predicted to earn D grades in his GCSEs. So what can we, as young business minds, learn from Jake? Based on Jake's story, one can see that no matter what your age is and more importantly, what society labels you as, you CAN make a success of yourself. IOTK wish Jake and his team the best of luck - we know they will continue to do major things. "In five years I want the business to be worth £100 million. I know what I want and I know I am going to change this industry" Feel free to keep up with Jake's journey here: @JakeLeeIYF as well as IYF: @IYF_Trading & https://www.iyftrading.com/

Who is Joe Taylor Joe Taylor is a 19 year old entrepreneur from Leeds, England. Alongside his co-founder, Elliot Rayne, they run a company called EJ Events. What is EJ Events? EJ Events is a company that hosts premium events in England, providing a range of great bespoke events such as: Student nights International themed nights Corporate events Event launches The team launched in December 2018 and have produced so many amazing events that they were recently crowned the "UK's next generation entrepreneurs" for their age group in association with TSB Bank and Enterprise nation. They have also gained exposure within the press. Not only do Joe and Elliot run a successful business, they also share their expertise with schools and colleges around Yorkshire with their public speaking days. What is Joe's plan? In the near future, Joe's goal is to run branded evenings in venues across the UK. What is Joe's advice to young entrepreneurs? If Only They Knew spoke to the 19 year old entrepreneur who shared his advice for those in a similar position. Joe's advice to people wanting to start a business would be to find something you are truly passionate about. From this, you can work out what impact and change you can have within the world. This will then allow you to have an overall goal to focus on whilst bringing around change. Also, Joe suggests having an MVP (minimum viable product). "Don't be scared of being perfect. Being open to constructive criticism is key, it will help you develop as an entrepreneur" Joe is clearly doing very well, running a great business at such a young age. To find out more about Joe and his company, you can visit the following links: EJ Events: https://www.ejeventsuk.co.uk/ Joe Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/joe.taylo/ IOTK wish Joe and his team the best of luck, Ted Lawlor - Owner of If Only They Knew.

French-born but London-bred, Octavian has now become a star across the globe. If you haven't heard of Octavian, he is a musician that mostly dabbles in UK rap, but his music has been described by New York-based magazine 'The Fader' as a mix combination of house, rap and drill. His music has quickly gained the attention from music stars such as Drake, with the Canadian being filmed singing along to Octavian's 'Party Here' single. Octavian Oliver Godji was born on January 22, 1996 in Lille, France, from a family of Angolan heritage. After his Dad sadly passed away, the family moved to Camberwell in South London. Octavian attended Globe Academy in Southwark and won a scholarship to Brit School for his talents, but dropped out within a year and a half. In terms of his music career, Octavian dropped his first mixtape in 2016, but the popularity did not come until around 2018, as his tune 'Party Here' was slowly being picked up by pockets of fans within the UK music scene. This popularity then spiked when not only did social media giant 'IM JUST BAIT' begin posting Octavian's songs, but Drake also posted a video of him singing along to Octavian. This then led to Octavian releasing a hugely successful mixtape called 'Spaceman' in September 2018, which reached the UK top 100 chart and was number 35 in the UK R&B chart. The mixtape was pretty much a statement, with Octavian recognising his fame and solidifying his position as a UK music scene icon. The south-Londoner now has songs with Skepta, A$AP Ferg, Yxng Bane and much more. Moving quickly, Octavian has just released another mixtape ('Endorphins') to add to his discography and legacy. This is proof that anyone from any background can make it to wherever they want to be, just keep working and your efforts WILL be rewarded at some point. I'm sure that this is just the start for Octavian. Congratulations Octavian #EssiGang !

Who is Jack Parsons? Jack Parsons is a 25 year old, award-winning digital entrepreneur, public speaker and an all-round great guy. He has appeared on various platforms, such as BBC radio, London Business Awards and more. Like many of us at a young age, Jack was not entirely sure as to what he wanted to do with his life but he knew he wanted to follow whatever his passion would be. He completed an apprenticeship, which is where he found recruiting and realised his passion for bringing people closer towards their jobs and goals. He left the apprenticeship behind him, now knowing that he wanted to do something great for himself whilst doing something great for others at the same time. "My personal mission is to kick down doors for others to walk through" Jack learned the idea and the importance of building a truly honest personal brand after reading an article by Richard Branson. From this, Jack started reaching out to individuals to begin his journey in the business world, however, nobody wanted to meet him. So, Jack used his initiative and took a photo of 2 cups of tea with the caption "great day of meetings"... but the truth was, Jack didn't meet anybody - but this was the only way to create his personal brand at the time. From this moment, his brand began to pick up momentum across social media. The development of his online presence has allowed Jack to continue with his work, so... What does Jack do? Jack is the CEO of the Big Youth Group (BYG), which is a collective of youth-led services that aim to help young people become greater, whether this is by developing leadership skills or learning the art of building a personal brand, BYG helps young people develop the tangible skills that matter when looking for professional opportunities. As well as being heavily involved with this venture, Jack also speaks publicly across the globe, sharing his story and his advice for those in similar positions to himself. All of this allowed Jack to leave his family home at the age of 22 and employ a team of great people to join him on his journey, as well as fulfilling BYG's pledges: To create a community of 2 million 18-30 year olds To connect 400,000 young people to a work-life experience To create a virtual youth currency to help young people achieve more To build a digital marketplace where young people and businesses are connected in real time To accelerating the growth of 100 startups from young entrepreneurs To support 50 youth programmes, charities and campaigns to improve the odds for young people. "We need to instil confidence in young people by praising the process, not just the outcome" What is Jack’s advice for young entrepreneurs? If Only They Knew spoke to Jack, who shared 3 of his tips for those wanting to be successful both in and out of the business world: “Surround yourself with people who can enable your success” “Things take time so don't panic or rush” ”Be humble always” If you are interested in following Jack Parson's journey, you can follow him on Instagram & Twitter via @JackParsons_CEO as well as Big Youth Group @BigYgroup If Only They Knew wish Jack and his team the best of luck in their personal missions, as well as reaching their 6 pledges. Ted Lawlor, owner of If Only They Knew.

If Only They Knew Erin Moroney, the founder of Nibble - a company that sells nutritious, protein treats. Before founding Nibble, Erin Moroney was the co-owner of a photographic agency and an art director and producer for a creative agency. Then suddenly, the idea for Nibble came to light and Erin created a business that changed her life, as well as many others. Like many great ideas, the idea for Nibble came naturally as a reaction to an issue that many face in life. Erin was a former-vegetarian who was always feeling lethargic and tired, with low blood sugar levels. It was only when preparing for a Marathon that Erin changed then analysed her diet and realised she was protein deficient. To try and amend this problem, Erin looked for more ways to get protein into her diet. After a look of shopping around for protein sources, the entrepreneurial mindset of Erin kicked in and she thought she’d just make her own! To stand out and make a real difference, the entrepreneur knew that her protein bars must be nutritious and low in sugar. Initially, it was a challenge to get the right product, but after a few hundred test batches, Nibble had their product ready. Working with multiple food scientists, as well as manufacturers and more, Erin admits the process was tough but that the hard work was worth it as Nibble was awarded with a Bronze Innovation Challenge Award in 2017. “I think it probably helped in some respects that I’m not from the food industry.  Because I didn’t know any better, I pushed for things that experienced food developers had already ruled out as being too tricky or simply not possible.  Talk about a seriously steep learning curve!” Now, Nibble can be found at the following places: Amazon, Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods, Ocado and many more great places! So for those struggling in life, keep hustling. That key moment will appear and you can change not only your life, but also the lives of those across the globe. Sometimes that great business idea is staring you in the face, it may stem from a challenge you face everyday, just like Erin did. To keep up with Erin and Nibble, visit the following links: Nibble's Website Nibble's Instagram Nibble's Twitter Erin's LinkedIn You can also follow If Only They Knew on all social platforms for more content, from interviews to vlogs - it's all here at If Only They Knew. IOTK Instagram IOTK Twitter IOTK Facebook IOTK Youtube

Meet Jordan Adelekan, the 21-year-old owner of InspireDynasty Jordan Adelekan is the 21-year old entrepreneur from London who has gained support from Yxng Bane, Maya Jama, Tulisa and many others! But what does Jordan do? The young entrepreneur runs a premium clothing brand called InspireDynasty, which has been running for 2 years. InspireDynasty vows to offer the best quality and most value for their customers, perhaps a reason why they have gained the support of many high profile names from all areas of life, from actors to athletes. Jordan has also appeared on radio, featured in blogs & magazines and much more to spread the word about his brand. The reason he created his own company was to “show people that you can be a nobody from nowhere who was nothing, to become a somebody from somewhere who becomes something”. The Young entrepreneur wants people to see the greatness within them, “if I can show greatness within me through my story, I believe that others will be able to see that if I can do it, so can they.” “Ultimately, it comes down to how badly you want it” Jordan spoke in-depth about his vision for the next 5 years: “Within the next 5 years I know that I’m gonna work hard each and every day, without the daily goals being fulfilled I can’t reach longer term goals so my plan always consists of me taking each day as it comes and obtaining victory daily which will walk me into my purpose, my focus is more fixed on my day to day which will enable me to walk in to a greater future, one greater than I could even imagine” “ Without the victory being obtained daily you can’t reach the goals long term that are further down the line & I plan to have my brand evolve into one that seeds are being planted in every country world wide, having an impact and changing lives through the testimony of the brand, ultimately I want this brand to leave a legacy behind that stands for many things and will be remembered for breaking glass doors and turning the impossible into the possible, the goal is for InspireDynasty to live on past my time and past it’s own time too” You can keep up to date with Jordan & his brand by following: @JordanInspire on Instagram @InspireDynasty on Instagram