My brother & I started side-hustling at 16 – now we’ve got an £8 million business & our products are even sold on Amazon
TWO brothers have revealed that they were just teenagers when they started a side hustle that has now turned into a £8 million business.
Michael and Jake Lebhar started Lebbro industries from scratch when they were just 16 and 14 years old.
The pair were still in school at the time, and started out by selling gym equipment online.
“I just wanted to ditch school to get my e-commerce business going”, Joseph told CNBC.
They then expanded their business and now sell a variety of products including pet toys and kitchen accessories.
The brothers’ products are now sold on Amazon and in Wallmart, and their business is worth £8 million.
The brothers shared their top tips for having a successful business.
Ask Successful Business Owners For Advice
Michael said that when he first started the business, he relied on the advice of others in the industry.
He said: “A lot of people want to help each other, so just pick up any information you can.”
Be Confident, Regardless Of Age
Michael said that it’s important to instil confidence in yourself so that when you are speaking to retailers, they don’t see your age as a problem.
He said: “As long as you’re really confident and sound like you’re educated, then it isn’t really a barrier”.
Focus On Growth
The young entrepreneur said that is important to focus your business on an area that has a lot of potential for growth, instead of something that will just make you money straight away.
Joseph added: “In the beginning, I thought let’s just make money quick, but it doesn’t work like that.
“The more work you put in at the beginning, the more comes out later on.”
Have Clear Goals
Michael said that the two brothers had a clear idea of their end goal from the beginning and made sure to hustle until they got their.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
He added: “Any hustle that we did had to build towards our goal”.
Diversify You Business Platforms
Michael said that is is extremely important to put all of your energy into establishing your brand.
Then, when the brand has been established, he advised finding other platforms to sell your products on.
He said: “There’s so much opportunity on other platforms.
“You don’t want to wait until it gets too expensive and too hard to do”.
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