A few of you might have noticed me going on about a book I was writing some while ago. Well, sometime last month I finally took the leap and published it, while it's been an amazing experience, it's also been a massive learning curve for me.
This is the full introduction of my new book "The Rise & Rise of UK Entrepreneurs."
To those of us interested in the evolution of the UK Economy, it is common knowledge (like the answer to “who is the Queen of England?”), that the make -up of the UK Economy is constantly shifting. From the Neolithic Revolution to the Industrial Revolution one thing has remained constant throughout these shifts in society…our appetite for innovation.
The birth of widely accessible technology gave rise to a demand for services, and it was during this period that the UK saw some of its most notable business minds:
Richard Branson - “Sir Richard Branson” famous for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies, also the 4th richest Person in the UK and 254th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$4.2 billion.
Alan Sugar - Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar, British entrepreneur, media personality and political advisor. He has an estimated fortune of £770m (US$1.14 billion), and was ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011, now famous for his BBC TV series The Apprentice.
John Caudwell - John Caudwell made a lot of his money in the Telecoms, and in 2005 the Sunday Times estimated Caudwell's wealth at £1.28 billion (then around $2.4 billion).
No, this isn’t a biography of these individuals……
The next shift in economic focus in the UK was scheduled to occur between 1995 and 2000 with the dot.com boom and subsequent bust; simply put, expectations were high, forecasts were high. The internet was supposed to change everything - well it did, and then it didn’t.
This isn’t a retelling of that point in history, what we are interested in are some of the big winners of that era, I call them “The dot.com boys.” These are the men and women who received the baton to spread the next wave of entrepreneurial revolution in the UK. I give you:
Ben Way - Benjamin Peter Bernard Way (born 28 September 1980). English entrepreneur best known for his appearance on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire. He started his first company at the age of 15 and went on to raise £25 million, possibly one of the first dot.com millionaires.
Tom Hadfield – Born in 1982 in Wakefield. He created Soccernet, a sports Internet company that was sold to ESPN for $40 million when he was 17 years old.
Andrew Michaels – Born in Cheltenham. He started Fasthosts as part of a school project and in 2006 Fasthosts was sold to German internet service provider United Internet for £61.5 million, netting Michael £46 million for his 75% stake.
Ladies and Gentlemen the stage has been set for the entrepreneurial revolution and the next generation are the star attraction. I can confidently say that the tech entrepreneurs will steal the show, strongly influenced by the internet, well acquainted with innovation, hardwork and persistence, and of course backed by funding - funding from a generation of successful entrepreneurs who made big exits in the dot.com era; even the government is getting involved.
This is not to say that there won’t be other key players with businesses outside of tech like, I don’t know, selling jam . . . Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see.
The future has already started and with this book I have written its foundation. The people and businesses in this book will be written about and widely covered in the Media for their Mega Exits and contribution in shaping the world entrepreneurship.
This really is the best time to start your business in the UK and through the this book I will ignite your entrepreneurial spark regardless of who you are and where you are in life, most especially if you are young (at heart); I hope to have you gearing up to take your leap of faith by the concluding chapters.
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If you're still reading this, thank you so much for your time, and If you're still interested in reading more, then I simply ask you to order a copy now on Amazon. I spent the best part of a year crafting to make this book possible, and of value to you. Don't forget to leave a review, I heard this things really help, and matter with rankings on Amazon. Thank you!
