From £50 to Exit: Lessons from Building and Selling Companies
The unfiltered truth about building companies from scratch, scaling them, and knowing when to sell. Insights from launching at 17 to multiple successful exits.
I launched my first business at 17 with £50 and a ridiculous idea. That company, iamhungover.co.uk, ended up getting acquihired by Jinn. Since then, I've built and sold multiple companies, including Electric Scootz UK in 2023. Here's what I've learned about building, scaling, and knowing when to exit.
The First Business: Pure Naivety as a Superpower
At 17, I didn't know what I didn't know. iamhungover.co.uk was born from a simple observation: hungover people need things delivered, fast. No business plan, no funding, just £50 and the audacity to think it could work.
That naivety was my superpower. While others were perfecting their pitch decks, I was making sales. While they were seeking permission, I was seeking customers.
The acquihire by Jinn taught me my first major lesson: sometimes the value isn't in what you built, but in what you learned building it.
Electric Scootz UK: Riding the Wave
Fast forward to 2021. The pandemic had changed everything. Cities were rethinking transportation. Micromobility was having its moment. I saw an opportunity and launched Electric Scootz UK.
This time was different. I had experience, connections, and capital. But more importantly, I understood timing. We partnered with brands like Xiaomi and Dualtron when the market was exploding but before it was saturated.
Key lessons from scaling Electric Scootz:
1. Distribution is Everything
The best product means nothing if you can't get it to customers. We built relationships with suppliers, optimised logistics, and turned delivery speed into a competitive advantage.
2. Cash Flow > Everything Else
E-commerce is a cash flow game. Inventory ties up capital. Customers expect instant gratification. Managing that balance is what separates survivors from casualties.
3. Brand Matters, Even in Commodities
Electric scooters could have been a race to the bottom on price. Instead, we built a brand around expertise, service, and community. That's what made us acquisition-worthy.
The Exit: Knowing When to Sell
In June 2023, I sold Electric Scootz UK. People ask why sell a profitable, growing business? Three reasons:
1. Market Maturation The gold rush phase was ending. Regulations were coming. Competition was intensifying. Better to exit at the peak than ride it down.
2. Opportunity Cost Shopify had approached me about the Merchant Success role. The learning opportunity and impact potential outweighed the upside of continuing to run Electric Scootz.
3. Founder-Market Fit Evolution I'm a builder, not an operator. Once a business needs optimization more than innovation, it's time for me to move on.
Made BRICK by BRICK: The Agency Years
Between 2019-2022, I also ran Made BRICK by BRICK, a digital agency for construction companies. This taught me about B2B sales, service delivery, and the challenges of scaling human-powered businesses.
The construction industry is ripe for digital transformation, but the sales cycles are long, the decision-makers are traditional, and the margins are thin. We did good work, helped dozens of companies modernise, but ultimately, I realised my passion was in product, not services.
The Meta Lessons
After multiple builds and exits, patterns emerge:
Start Before You're Ready
Every successful business I've built started before I felt ready. Perfection is procrastination in disguise.
Revenue Solves Most Problems
Focus relentlessly on revenue. It attracts talent, capital, and options. Everything else is secondary.
Build to Sell (Even If You Won't)
Building with an exit in mind forces discipline. Clean finances, documented processes, transferable value. These make businesses better, whether you sell or not.
Timing > Execution > Idea
A mediocre idea with perfect timing beats a perfect idea with poor timing. I've seen this play out repeatedly.
What's Next
Now at Shopify, I'm applying these lessons at scale. Building AI systems that help thousands of merchants succeed. The entrepreneurial itch never goes away—it just finds new outlets.
I'm still building. Still experimenting. The only difference is the canvas is bigger, the impact is broader, and the lessons come faster.
The next company I build will synthesise everything: AI, commerce, crypto. The intersection where I've always operated. But for now, I'm learning how to build at true scale, inside one of the best companies in the world.
Serial entrepreneur turned Revenue Technology Lead at Shopify. Built and sold multiple companies. Currently building AI systems that help revenue teams operate at 10x. Always interested in conversations about building, scaling, and the future of commerce.