I didn't dedicate much time or effort to school, and my GCSE and A-Level results showed it. My Dad suggested I look for a steady job as a plasterer. Suffice to say, I didn’t take that early career advice, or become a plasterer. But I have become, and in some ways have always been, a builder of sorts.

I've always enjoyed building things, from starting my first small clothing business at 14, to a printing business when I was 16, to establishing a division in a very entrepreneurial software company and later becoming an equity owner. I’ve always thrived on turning nothing into something. This mindset helped me gain the reputation as a solid pair of hands—people knew if I was given a problem, I'd find my way around it.

In 2017 a problem was presented to me that changed the course of my life forever: my ex-colleague and close friend, Nigel Pickles, had had his 5-year side project effectively cloned by a competitor. He told me, “I’m either about to lose this altogether, or I need some help." So, I suggested I take an equity stake, invest some money and together we'd try and build his vision into something special. After 5 years of collaboration, 14 employees, and $6 million a month being earned by creators, I believe we've made something truly meaningful.

The years prior to co-founding Ko-fi and starting my first business had been long and for the most part, rewarding. I had worked hard to build a MarTech Saas business from zero to £1M in recurring revenue, earned a postgraduate diploma in Marketing and an MBA from Cranfield University. My journey after, though, wasn't always such smooth sailing.

At 30 I had a complete life reset. My wife and I separated, and I had to move on from my job. Within three months, I had left my hometown, my job, and rented a flat in Cambridge for myself. I had to rebuild the personality and identity that was completely linked to what came before, and it was a humbling experience, to say the least.

During this time, I continued doing consultancy work, but after a year I realised something vital was missing: the progressive nature of building something. So, during a conversation with Ko-fi founder Nigel, we had an opportunity to build on his idea.

We knew from our previous work that we had opposite strengths and complementary skill sets. And while I’m not the guy who comes up with the initial visionary idea, I am the one who can draw a line from A to B to make it happen. So, when Nigel approached me with the idea of giving people the ability to fulfil their creative aspirations and be financially and emotionally rewarded, I was sold. 

Since then, we’ve helped over 500,000 creators earn money from their passions, as well as built a stellar international team that never ceases to inspire us to do better. I’m so grateful they’re with us, doing some of the best work of their careers and I feel grateful to be able to work with them every day.

Something I had to overcome during this journey though, was the pre-set idea I had about how to run a business and the misconceptions I had about how I had to present myself. Early on, I was more concerned with projecting myself as a successful entrepreneur than I should have been. Being an entrepreneur or a start-up founder is often seen as exciting and sexy, but the reality of running a business is a lot less glamorous.

So, when we started Ko-fi, I decided I wasn’t going to spend any time acting like a successful founder. Instead, I was going to dig in, do the work and do what's best for the company and the creators it serves. Over the next few years, our mission is to normalise the idea of supporting others directly and to see Ko-fi as a vehicle for good within the creator community, making the greatest potential impact.

Beyond Ko-fi, my personal motivation is having the opportunity and platform to help young adults make the transition from home and school to the real world, teaching them valuable skills that can help them thrive in professional and entrepreneurial settings.

As a founder, I've always had a restlessness for the status quo, and I understand how challenging it can be to focus on the right things when you're starting out. Poor career advice, external pressure, and unfair circumstances all contribute to making the entrepreneurial journey more difficult than necessary.

That’s why, in my spare time, I’ve been writing a book for my little boy. It’s a personal manifesto of sorts, with all the lessons I’ve learnt. Right now, these are just words on paper for my son, but I hope one day to use my experience to help thousands of young adults in the world thrive.

My experience co-founding Ko-fi has been incredible, but in the future, I hope to help young adults transition seamlessly from school to work by sharing my knowledge through speaking and mentorship opportunities.