Best Of British: Entrepreneurs And Startups

London‘s business newspaper, City AM, announced its list of top 100 most influential entrepreneurs on social media. Powered by Rise, the list consists of well-established entrepreneurs as well as rising stars.

Rise defines itself as a gamified performance management platform that uses Twitter profiles and Klout scores (which takes into account metrics from Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Instagram, Foursquare and Wikipedia) to deem a power score.

The list updates every Friday and all entrepreneurs are encouraged to add themselves to the Rise board to be considered for the list.

The List of Britain’s Top Entrepreneurs and Startups

City AM’s Top 5 Entrepreneurs

The list was created by City AM to get readers inspired, so to inspire you here’s how the top 5 entrepreneurs got to where they are today:

Richard Branson

After struggling at school with Dyslexia, Richard Branson dropped out at the age of 16 – a brave decision that led to the creation of Virgin Records in 1973. Branson has launched over 400 businesses in the Virgin portfolio, with the Virgin Group currently owning around 200 brands. Branson’s estimated networth is $5.1 billion (£3.2 billion), proving the power of sheer hard work and determination can get you anywhere.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham rose to fame as Posh Spice in girl-band Spice Girls, but never hid her passion for fashion. In 2004 she designed her first label,VB Rocks for Rock and Republic and then went on to set up her own label dvb Style in 2006. Beckham’s first collection went down the catwalk in 2008 and her brand has gone from strength to strength and she is now revered as a style icon. Beckham’s net worth is estimated at £210 million, a perfect example of what you can achieve through following your passion.

Duncan Bannatyne

After a stint in the Navy, Duncan Bannatyne began his business career with an ice cream van bought for £450. He soon bought more vans to expand and eventually sold the business for £28,000. Bannatyne went on to found a care home business and children’s nursery chain, Just Learning. Quality Care Homes was sold for £26 million in 1996 and Just Learning, for £22 million. The Bannatyne Group now consists of health clubs, bars, hotels and property worth – and it all began with a £450 ice cream van. Bannatyne, whose net worth is estimated at £173 million, featured in the BBC’s Dragon’s Den; a TV show that sees entrepreneurs pitch for financial investment while offering a stake of the company in return.

Theo Paphitis

Theo Paphitis’ love of retail and sales with began with running the school tuck shop at 15 and set up his first property and corporate finance company at just 23. Paphitis has revived numerous businesses from Millwall FC to retail brands La Senza, Rymans and Red Letter Days. With the launch of Boux Avenue, a lingerie brand, in 2011 and Robert Dyas joining the portfolio in 2012, the retail group now has 349 stores and 3,600 employees who serve over 28 million customers a year with Paphitis estimated to be worth $255 million (£163 million). Paphitis’ industry expertise drove his success in this sector and led to his success and popularity as a Dragon on TV show Dragon’s Den.

Peter Jones

Current Dragon Peter Jones’ boyhood dream was to run a multi-million pound business, an impressive feat he achieved after founding, losing and learning from a few businesses in his 20s. Jones went on to work for a large IT company which he ended up running within 12 months. He branched out on his own in 1998 and set up Phones International Group, providing mobile cellular solutions to a broad range of clients. The company was one of the fastest growing businesses in Europe, seeing £14 million worth of revenue in the first year of trading and £44 million by the end of the second. Having learnt from the businesses he set up and lost as a young entrepreneur, Jones has now built an empire that generates more than £250 million revenue per year with a wide range of businesses in varying markets. Jones is estimated to be worth £235 million.

The startup community in London is booming and it’s thanks to entrepreneurs like Branson, Beckham, Bannatyne, Paphitis and Jones proving inspiration and expertise. They are all involved with giving young entrepreneurs a helping hand in different ways. There is a real sense of variety with all the start-up companies based in London, which makes it an incredibly exciting time to be on the startup scene.

5 London Based Startups To Watch

Teddy The Guardian

Self-processed as a new approach to Paediatrics, Teddy The Guardian is a Smart Toy that records vital medical information as a child interacts with it. The data is sent to the app on the parent’s phone, enabling them to have insight into essential health parameters like heart rate, oxygen saturation, body temperature without inducing a stressful situation for the child.

what3words

what3words is a universal addressing system which uses a unique combination of just 3 words that identifies a 3mx3m square, anywhere on the planet. With 57 trillion squares across the globe, it’s far more accurate than a postal address and enables users – whether they are big businesses or people trying to find a friend in a busy street – to find a specific location by using just three words.

Vidsy

As the medium of video is getting more and more popular, Vidsy has created a platform for brands and companies to connect with creators to make 6-second bespoke videos created by their audience, for their audience. With over 3 million video views already, Vidsy is riding the trend helping big businesses tap into the potential of crowd-sourced content.

Sayduck

Buying furniture takes up a lot of time – and you never really know what it’s going to look like in your home until it arrives. Sayduck has solved that problem. Using Augmented Reality, Sayduck enables the user to see what the piece will look like in their home, place where it could go and change the colour. A great way to help brands connect with potential customers and take some of the stress away from buying big items.

Bizzby

This on-demand, subscription-free service connects the user to professional services that arrive at your door within 60 minutes, tapping into the instant culture we live in today. Find out more about the nifty business here.

There are many people with great ideas that could make a real difference in the world, but it’s taking that leap from an idea and turning into a business that needs bravery. Entrepreneurs grow from all walks of life; like Richard Branson you might need a lot of determination, or a deep passion like Victoria Beckham or just a big dream and to learn from your mistakes like Peter Jones. Be inspired by their stories and the startups in London at the moment and do what it takes to turn your great idea into a successful business.

 

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