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A true entrepreneur from a young age, always keeping busy. Whether he was creating websites, social communities or iPhone app’s, it’s clear that Ben was hungry for more than the ordinary life. There was one creation that helped Ben to achieve more than many others his age...Gymshark! In 2012, Whilst studying at Aston University, 19 year old Ben started the online store which originally sold health supplements. The brand soon switched to selling gym apparel as Ben struggled to find gym clothes that he actually wanted to wear, so he created his own. With just a sewing machine, a screen printer and a vision, Gymshark began its journey. Amazingly, within only 5 years of operation, annual sales hit over £40m! However, it wasn’t as simple as Ben makes it look. Whilst in the early stages, Ben had to juggle the pressures of studying, working, socialising and everything else a young adult has to deal with. "I could answer emails in between deliveries. Then I'd go home and sort out the website, and design new products" Today, Gymshark is estimated to be worth around £300-400m (it was around £100k in 2013) and they have just invested over £5m in the Gymshark Lifting Club - a 55,000 SQ ft studio and fitness centre focused on employeee wellbeing and brand innovation. The building will include amazing facilities such as a 100-person auditorium, R&D factory and multiple photography studios. This shows that Gymshark has yet again evolved, living up to their innovative brand image. A huge part of Gymshark’s success was not only Ben’s vision and determination, but also the use of influencers to leverage the brand’s awareness. Online, Gymshark's main Instagram page alone has almost 3.5m followers and fans of the company as a whole are heavily devoted to the brand. Gymshark has effectively leverage social media to depict it as a strong lifestyle brand, appealing to influencers both in and out of the sports industry - which is worth billions of pounds, proving to be a great industry to be apart of if you can do it right. There is never a perfect time to start something, it may be that you’re studying or have other commitments, but Ben is proof that you CAN work around this - he is now estimated to be worth around $10m. The best time to start is now! You can keep up with Ben and Gymshark via their social media platforms: Ben Francis: - Instagram - Twitter - Linkedin Gymshark: - Instagram - Twitter - Linkedin - Website If Only They Knew: - Instagram - Twitter - Linkedin - Website

Steven Bartlett is the Founder and CEO of Social Chain Group, a Marketing agency and production house which has worked with huge brands such as Apple, Nike and many more. The business started in Steven’s bedroom, when he was just a struggling 22 year old living in Manchester. The company was co-founded alongside Steven’s friend, Dom McGregor, dropping out of University to begin the venture. Steven was studying Business Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, but was not only struggling with the concept of living the “norm” but also financially. Steven struggled so much at one point in his life that he had to steal food as he could not afford it. However, he didn’t let this stop him from achieving more and probably was one of the many factors that sparked the fire within him - allowing him to take the risk of starting a business. Today, Steven heads a team of almost 300 individuals who all work together to successfully disrupt the social sphere - both offline and digitally. Their innovative ideas have been the key to their success, with ideas such as a Bitcoin vending machine that have solidified Social Chain as pioneers within their industry. The team have driven millions upon millions of impressions and engagement statistics for giant brands such as ASOS, Coca-Cola and Nokia. However, the group didn’t start off straight away with the big clients. Their first client was a gaming app called Tippy Tap and Steven admits he wasn’t sure of what the outcome of their campaign would be. Their campaign exceeded any expectations he had and led to the gaming app sitting at the top of the App Store for weeks and made BBC headlines. This is the moment they knew that they were on to something. Alongside the groups success, Steven has built a personal brand for himself that has gained the attention of many. Steven’s inspirational and educational videos, Podcasts and speeches have influenced the life of many of his followers. This has led to him being awarded accolades such as Great British Entrepreneur of the Year and Most Influential Agency Figure. Before success, Steven admits that he was chasing the wrong things in life, which he realised when he bought his dream Range Rover and experienced little joy from this. “I traded in my Range Rover for an electric bike” Today, Steve wants to “inspire a generation to overcome their fear and negativity“. He also runs a charity called “The Rewrite Foundation” which aims to be the outlet that assists young people with self-awareness, industry experience, confidence and skill development. To keep up with Steven's journey, take a look at the following: Instagram Twitter Podcast Social Chain The Rewrite Foundation

Student, David Tyoember, stood outside Moorgate Station with a sign asking for work experience This morning during the rush hour, London commuters travelling past Moorgate Station were met with yet another person asking for something. However, this wasn't the typical sales pitch that commuters are often confronted with. Instead, they were met by Imperial College Student, David Tyoember, who had a sign asking if anybody could offer him some work experience within the Asset Management sector. Luckily, David caught the attention of Robert Toffel who took a photo of David and his CV, then posted it to LinkedIn. Within just a few hours, the post had gone viral, picking up attention from important figures within the Asset Management industry. David has since been inundated with job offers just from comments on that LinkedIn post alone. However, if you do have a relevant job opportunity for David, feel free to reach out to him via email (davidtyoember@outlook.com) or on Instagram (@Tyoember). "It is super important to be resourceful and try to think in an entrepreneurial way" As you can see from his CV below, David is definitely not afraid of getting his foot through the door as he has a huge range of previous work experience. Not only this, but David has been a follower of 'If Only They Knew' (the hub for young business minds) for a while now, proving that he has always had his head in the game and has been focusing on the right things. He has also worked with a mentor that helped him learn a lot about himself and what was holding him back as his mentor was so honest with feedback - mentoring is something that David suggests can be very important in guiding young people to success. If Only They Knew spoke to David, who explained that the reason he felt he had to go out today was because "it can be difficult for some people to stand out to companies and properly demonstrate the qualities they have on paper. I've been doing entrepreneurial things since Sixth Form, so I thought to myself - why not apply the confidence and entrepreneurial instinct I gained from those experiences to creating a path into the city for myself." David's advice for those in a similar position to himself, struggling to find work, is that "when you are not from a privileged background, it is super important to be resourceful and try to think in an entrepreneurial way with respect to your city ambitions. Take advantage of the opportunities that various social mobility organisations are offering for development. If i did not do that, my CV would probably be a lot more empty.". We, at If Only They Knew, are sure that David will land his dream job and continue to smash his goals as he has shown an extraordinary work ethic at such a young age.

Here are 4 interview tips to help you get ANY job! After recently graduating from Uni, I have spent a lot of time in interviews for many different roles. Whether it’s a phone call or an open day, I feel as if i‘ve done it all over the past few months - some being much more enjoyable than others. But with each interview, I have been successful in moving to the next stages. From this experience, I have noticed a few key things that stood out for me & these things will definitely help you cruise through any interview stage at many career levels. I have grouped the key tips for interviewing under the acronym R.U.D.E, standing for Research, Understand, Display and Express. Research One of the more crucial aspects of interviewing, you MUST ensure that you research the role AND the company. First, start off by matching the role's requirement and responsibilities with your own requirements for a job - ensuring that you not only understand the role but also feel comfortable doing it. Once the role is suitable for you, research the company and their industry so that you know the following key points: What the company does How the company does it Why the company does it What industry they are in Where does the company stand within the industry - market leaders? start up? Those points should give you a clear understanding of the purpose that you will fulfill within the team, avoiding any embarrassing moments if the employer was to ask the typical question "So what do you understand about the role?". This then leads me onto the 'U' of RUDE... Understand As mentioned above, you must understand the role and the company, but you must also understand yourself in order to explain WHY you are right for the role - remember, so many people are likely to be applying for the same role, you need to stand out! To understand yourself, you can start by writing down your strengths and weaknesses, BUT here is where you must be clever in your answers. You do not want to give ACTUAL weaknesses, such as "I'm bad at listening", you want to give weaknesses that stem from a form of strengths. A good example of a weakness is that you dislike leaving projects unfinished, therefore you always go out of your way to complete projects as best as you can. From this weakness, you would have mentioned a strength that comes from it, showing how you overcome your weaknesses. Another list that would be good to write is how your values link to the company's, hopefully you would have come across the business' values whilst researching. A firm's values are typically listed within their 'About Us' page or somewhere on their website, if you can't find it on there, Google "[insert company name] values" which may help. Basically, if you can't think of your values, look at the company's and adapt your own based on theirs. Typical values include: Ambition Customer-centricity Determination Motivation and so much more! Now we move on to the easier part of understanding, which is understanding how your experience applies to the role and makes you suitable for the job. Again, so many people will be applying, so you must show your more relevant experience both on your CV and in-person. Wondering how to show off this fact? Well, here comes the D of RUDE, display... Display To really help 'display' yourself and what your capable of, it can be useful to bring in physical copies of content or examples of your work as saying "you can look on my website/CV" won't go down as well as nicely printed example pieces. For example, as I was applying for marketing jobs, I brought in examples of content marketing that could be done for those company’s products or services. Anything that helps you stand out from the rest of the applicants is good! Express The 4th element of being RUDE is expressing, by this I mean expressing your interest in the role, industry and company. You may have all the qualifications and experience needed, but if you’re clearly not showing a true interest in the company, you’re likely to get pushed down the huge pile of applicants. Don’t let the employer think that you’re just there for a pay day! So there you have it, be RUDE & improve your chances of getting a job! But, if you aren’t successful with interviews, there may be external factors that you can’t control (a lot of the companies I applied for had decided to change their job descriptions during the process) so don’t let it get you down, each interview gives you great experience and all allows for great self development. If you found these tips useful, feel free to share them and/or follow us on Instagram/Facebook (@IfOnlyTheyKnewUK) & on Twitter (@IfOnlyTheyKnewU).

Zakariya Benammor is a 22 year old graduate from Roehampton University that is on the verge of taking over the sports jersey game. The graduate currently runs 2 online businesses as well as balancing this with his social life. His 1st business is a Marketing company that develops and manages independent marketing campaigns for huge brands such as Virgin Media and EE. The 2nd business is Jersey Connect, a brand that is based on Instagram and sells sports jerseys at an affordable price compared to retail brands. Jersey Connect stocks jerseys from many sports, including NBA, NFL and football (soccer) - whatever sport you like, they have a jersey for you. Zakariya's future plan is to get involved in the property market and invest wisely to secure a small portfolio of properties - perhaps one of the strongest investments for many. For a man of his ability, it is very likely that this will be very achievable. If Only They Knew asked the pro-active Entrepreneur for any tips that he can share for people looking to start businesses at a young age, to which he replied: "If you can't decide what to start as a business - try to see what consumers enjoy spending money on, then offer that at a good price compared to the bigger companies." This is a great piece of practical advice that many young entrepreneurs often ignore, with many instantly comparing themselves to the huge legacy brands even though they have only just set up shop themselves. If Only They Knew wish Zakariya and his brands the best of luck for the future. If you're interested in following his journey, you can follow him and the brands via the following links: Zakariya: Instagram: @ZakariyaJC Jersey Connect: Instagram: @Jersey.Connect Youtube: Youtube

Ellen Bundey, the 19 year old who is the fifth highest seller on Depop. Ellen Bundey, 19, from Barming in Kent, founded Rose and Sparkle in 2017, selling affordable glitter and jewellery from her bedroom whilst studying for her A-levels. The store stocks a great variety of glitter, which has now expanded with blends such as "Disco Ball" and "Princess Peach", some of the glitter pots are for sale as low as £1.99. Perhaps a reason why Ellen's store has been ranked as the fifth best seller on the e-commerce app, Depop - which has over 13 million users. In 2019, Ellen ships anything up to 75 orders daily to almost 40 countries, selling over 4.5k items, all whilst studying Geography at the University of Coventry. Ellen uses social media as the main bulk of marketing to promote Rose and Sparkle and its products. More recently, Rose and Sparkle has introduced a biodegradable make-up range, Ellen plans to invest more in Marketing and expanding the range - including seasonal sets. "I will always try to reinforce the roots of having products that are affordable, on-trend and easy to find" If Rose and Sparkle is to get really big, Ellen is willing to work on this full time, but either way she definitely wants to work within the cosmetic marketing or content creating world. However, it is crazy to see Ellen's success from something that was started from her smartphone but has grown so big in such a short space of time - funding the lifestyle of a student. "You can really start and run a business from your bedroom" If you would like to follow Ellen's journey, you can follow the brand on Instagram (@RoseAndSparkle_). If Only They Knew wish Ellen and the company the best of luck in the future.

Who is Elliott Rayne? Elliott is a 19 year old, serial entrepreneur, who was voted the UK's number 1 Next Generation Entrepreneur of 2019 by Enterprise Nation - winning a support package worth £7,500. Elliott works alongside Joe Taylor (also 19), running events company, EJ Events. As well as this, he also works as a freelance website developer and also invests in crypto-currency. What is Elliott's story? The entrepreneur left school and went straight to Stoke-on-Trent for a 6 week intense course to earn qualifications in Telecommunication. From this, Elliott went on to work in the Telecom's industry, becoming a technical account manager. This role allowed him to gain expertise in delving and maintaining traditional TDM legacy and new IP voice networks, including the migration between the 2. At 17, Elliott took the initiative to teach himself about Blockchain, a rapidly advancing opportunity for many entrepreneurs. Using the knowledge that he had then picked up, he began to invest in the long-term trading of crypto coins - something that he is still involved in today. Elliott then paired up with Joe Taylor to create EJ Events in October 2018. The duo then entered a Dragons Den-style process hosted by Enterprise Nation, accompanied with a public vote, in order to win a prize worth £7,500. The founder of ,Enterprise Nation, praised the founders of EJ Events, saying "We love Joe and Elliott's determination and enthusiasm. Their fresh approach and in particular, their focus on social media stands them apart from their competitors". Elliott's tip for young entrepreneurs If Only They Knew spoke to Elliott, who said that his tip for young entrepreneurs wanting to be in a similar position to him (owning businesses and being involved in multiple projects) is to "just start". "Just start. Not tomorrow. Today" Elliott suggests that you don;t need money to make money, "you just need more knowledge than the paying customer". A routine should be used to build your future and bare in mind that the biggest barrier is you. "Cut toxic people and barriers out of your life, focus on you and always be willing to help people" Both Elliott and his company are progressing rapidly, so I'm sure that they will reach even more levels of success in the near future. You can follow Elliott on Instagram here @Elliott_Rayne & visit his website here: www.elliottrayne.co.uk

SE (South East) Dons is a Sunday League football club, hailing from South London and run by UK rap artist Don Strapzy AKA Andrew McHugh. The team found fame both on and off the pitch, winning trophies whilst sharing their journey on YouTube. SE Dons started uploading their football vlogs just 2 years ago and the channel now boasts over 100,000 subscribers and millions of views. This has brought the triumph of SE Dons into the spotlight of many young people across the world, promoting a healthy, positive mindset and lifestyle - influencing many to get involved in football and sports. Founder, Don Strapzy, is known for his football related lyrics and puns, so there’s no doubt that he knows his stuff when it comes to football. On the pitch, SE Dons play in the North Kent Non-League, dominating against many of the teams they come up against - such as their 4-0 win against Sun FC. The dominance on the pitch, perhaps stemming from the family-like nature of the whole team, led to them winning the Kent Cup Champions 2019, as well as the Paul Picard Champions 2019. SE Dons have played with and against many influencers within the UK a community, such as Santan Dave, Stormzy, Ramz, the Play Dirty team (Krept, Bouncer, etc) and many more legends. The team and their performance is proof that teamwork really can make the dream work! I wish the Dons and the team the best of luck in the journey, I’m sure they will continue going up in the ranks. Ted Lawlor, owner of If Only They Knew. You can follow the SE Dons on: Instagram Facebook Their Website & you can follow us here: Instagram Facebook Twitter

From finding himself in court at age 11 due to misbehaviour, to becoming a Behaviour-Change Specialist and author. Gethin Jones, owner of Unlocking Potential, is proof that one can turn their life around whilst also helping others doing the same - making a real difference in the community. If Only They Knew had the pleasure of speaking to Gethin and finding out more about his journey. What is Gethin's background? Gethin was in care from an early age, causing trauma that triggered bad behaviour. This bad behaviour led to Gethin receiving a criminal conviction at the age of 11. The trouble continued, and 14 days after his 14th birthday, he was sent to a detention centre - which at the time, were renowned for being environments built upon fear and bullying. One of the first things Gethin had to do in the centre, was to write a letter to his Mum, explaining that he was sorry and would begin behaving - naturallly, this made the 14 year old miss his mother, despite their lack of a relationship. Little did he know, that imprisonment would become the norm up until his adult years. What was the switch that made Gethin change his life around? Gethin explains that it was a long process of transformation, having to understand his skills and abilities in order to make them benefit him in some way as well as taking on therapeutic methods to relieve his stress. For example, he realised that he had a form of positive manipulation, as his communication and negotiation skills allowed him to create good relationships with those in power in order to get by and get him what he needed. He likens himself to Fletcher from the popular BBC sitcom, Porridge, due to his persuasive qualities. After realising that he naturally had transferable skills, it allowed him to better himself. He gained a Leadership and Management NVQ level 5 qualification due to the fact that he was a natural leader. His leadership skills were shown at a young age as he used to lead his friends into trouble, causing him to be kicked out of multiple care homes. It is these transferable skills that allowed him to take advantage of many new opportunities. "Leadership is leadership, whether you can lead them left or lead them right" Gethin also found the therapeutic nature of writing and expressing himself when listening to an external speaker whilst in prison in 2001. He connected with the speaker's history and was inspired by the speakers transformation to success. This gave Gethin hope that life can be different. After this moment, Gethin began writing poems to express himself, of which he says have never been seen by anybody else but himself. Gethin's process of rehabiliation After many years of transforming himself and some time volunteering with a charity, he found his first work opportunity. Gethin was open and honest about his past to the interviewer (a lady named Cecil) as he wanted to express his past but wanted people to know him as Gethin, rather than focusing too much on his past. Cecil appreciated Gethin's honesty and background - giving the opportunity to work in her team. This particular stage of Gethin's life is summed up by a phrase that stems from Buddhism: "When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear." What challenges did Gethin face? Gethin struggled to make that change within himself as he was worried about what his friends may think, he did not want them to think that he somehow sold out. "Negative behaviour stops people reaching their full potential." As well as this, he was worried about the stigma that the new people in his life would attach to his past, as he believes that this would have hindered his career progression. When leaving his workplace to go into public speaking, he explained to his coworkers about his past - to which, their jaws dropped in shock. "The reason why my career progressed as it did, was because not everybody knew about my past. If people would have known it, I may not have gone through the ranks as quickly as I had" What does Gethin do today? Today, Gethin continues to write in the form of blogs to articulate his thoughts and feelings, whilst sharing his story. He also has written a personal development book, called "Unconscious Incarceration" - which is available here. Gethin states that the media tend to overstate his background, always labelling him as an ex-offender, which he understands, but also wants to stress the fact that he is now not only a changed man, but is also now an entrepreneur - changing lives across the UK (my words, not his ;D). Gethin owns a group called Unlocking Potential, where he trains and develops prisoners, social workers and anybody involved with vulnerable groups. Gethin trains them how to develop human relationships in order to rehabilitate and change their lives. Gethin explains that the people he works with, often see situations as an 'us versus them' situation, causing conflict in many areas of their lives. "It's not the system that rehabilitates, its individuals that work within it." What is the plan for Gethin and Unlocking Potential? The plan is to have Unlocking potential running sufficiently without Gethin at the forefront so he can go on to embed himself in the political world - making even more of a difference across Britain. He feels there should be more pressure on the government and organisations to help the society that work within, and that people should live their lives by example. "There's no i in team, but there are 3 i's in personal responsibility". I asked Gethin what he would want his legacy to be, to which he described a workshop he was in previously where a gentleman called Harry stated that he wanted his tombstone to be engraved with the words "He made a difference". Gethin carries the same mindset, stating that he just wants to make a difference. If you would like to find out more about Gethin and Unlocking Potential, you can connect with him via the following pages: Linkedin Twitter Gethin's website Gethin's book

16 year old Mohamed Ali, is a motivational speaker who has spoke to crowds of 400+! 😱 Mohamed also owns multiple businesses: Trading, network marketing & a social media manager! 👌 Mohamed: 🗣 “Passion is definitely the word which describes my feelings for business. ❤️ I own 2 business trading &network marketing and also in the process of my building my third business which is a clothing line designed by myself and ready to be launched mid 2018. 📈 I am also a motivational speaker who has spoken in front of over 400 people and in powerd hundreds of people & now realising a hit with huge artists featuring in the video. 🔥 The main reason I have been successful in this industry is because I truly believe that you can not take 1 million in to the grave with you it’s all about how many people turn up at your funeral *HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HELPED * because that’s what really matters !!!! 🙌 I put people before profits!” 🔑 Follow Mohamed here: @Momo.2018.n.l.a

Meet Mohamed Ali Elhag Mohamed Ali Elhag started his business journey at 15 years old, crushing the network marketing industry at such a young age - providing both ups and downs. This is a follow up post from his previous article. The following write-up is from Mohamed himself, where he talks about his journey in more detail. Mohamed: I heard two of the people that I was associated with at the time talking “you can make a lot of money this trading thing". I paid 0 attention; to be honest i was not Interested at all. I couldn’t even imagine sitting in-front of a screen for hours looking at charts & numbers. They talked about a certain meeting on trading in London, Canary Wharf to be precise, and how they really wanted to go and was really looking forward to it - while the only thing I was looking forward to was dipping my apple pie in the Oreo Mac-flurry I ordered. 3 Days later, it was finally 11/11/2017 - the day of the meeting. I poured my milk onto my rice Krispies, then sat down and scrolled through YouTube. I came across a video of Alex Morton (on the value of hard work in network marketing), it hit me so hard that I jumped up and put on a shirt and tie: got dressed: picked up the phone and called one of the two people that said they really wanted to go to the meeting. We both had a exam two days later however the urge to go overpowered both of us...we took the train to Canary Wharf, it was our first time, so after taking snaps for 40 minutes we remembered that we came for the meeting. When we arrived to the meeting, we were shown a opportunity that really hooked us...we stayed there for 5 hours: I can certainly tell you that on 11/11/2017 in South Quay, Canary wharf, my life changed for the better. Thank you Mohamed for sharing the story of how your life changed for the better because of trading. You can follow Mohamed on Instagram, here: @immohamedelhag If you would like to be featured on 'If Only They Knew', DM us on Instagram, Twitter of Facebook.

Mike Tyson has become an infamous figure, both inside and outside the ring. He holds the record as the youngest boxer to ever win a Heavyweight title, solidifying his legacy at just 20 years old. Outside of the ring, he was known for his violent onslaughts, both verbally and physically - but what is it that caused both this violence and the passion that led to him being a legend of his era? Perhaps the stem of all of Mike’s success and struggle came from the death of one of his first pigeons, of which he always had a passion for looking after. Here’s the story... Mike robbed a house and used the money he took to buy a few pigeons. Unfortunately, opposing criminals in his neighbourhood wanted to “tax” Mike for his criminal activity. The group of kids thought that by taking Mike’s pigeons, this would count as a form of punishment. After Mikes refusal, one of the kids racially abused Mike and then instantly tore the head off the pigeon. Instantly, Mike felt pure pain and was pressured by the kids to fight the brute who took away something of value from Mike - being the first real fight that Mike Tyson ever had. From there, he knew exactly what pain was and channeled it into boxing, leading to him being one of the most infamous boxers to ever grace the planet. Rather poetically, the retired champion now owns thousands of pigeons in his own coop. The reason he feels passionate about his pigeons now is because he said it reminds them of his childhood, perhaps as a bizarre way of somehow spiritually reshaping his life as he admits that he has so many regrets from his younger years. So, perhaps it was the death of his pigeon that kickstarted the pain and passion within one of the greatest Boxers to ever enter the ring. What are your thoughts? Let me know by DM’ing me on Instagram @IfOnlyTheyKnewUK