Since his school days, Tim has always had his eyes on the prize. A well-known LinkedIn personality, Tim creates videos giving out advice on how to successfully run a start-up, and gives details of his own personal experience in business. His innovation and unique creativity during his second year at Warwick University led to the formation of his incredibly successful media company, Fanbytes. Tim is a rare breed with an extraordinary story; his humility, passion and hunger for ‘more’ has certainly earned him a spot within the Top 10.

Tim was born in Hackney, but moved to Ghana before he turned 1. He lived in Ghana for 10 years with his grandmother and came back to the UK. He completed his last year of primary school in the UK. before progressing to a local school called City of London Academy, Southwark. When he was 14, he made a bet with a friend that he could make £500 before he turned 18 (after they both estimated the price of a Mercedes Benz at £500!).

He went home and googled ‘how to make money’; he soon came across a quote which said ‘work with what you know’. He realised that he was good at Maths and within two weeks, started his own tutoring service where he shared personal revision tips. Word spread around and he was soon tutoring Physics, Maths and Chemistry. He then started to go to teachers to ask about students who excelled in these subjects. He then connected these students (who became tutors) to other underperforming students through his own tutoring service – Tim found himself becoming the middleman. In 6 weeks, his earnings had already exceeded the £500 mark.

He taught himself how to build a website and created the Alpha Tutoring webpage. After 3 months, he stopped the business because he realised that potential students could go directly to the tutors as opposed to using his service. After his GCSEs, he won a heavily subsidised scholarship to Christ’s Hospital boarding school, by which point he had started his second business, Entrepreneur Express.

Entrepreneur Express was an online magazine and media company. It contained interviews with the likes of Richard Branson and Sir Alan Sugar who gave advice and tips on general business practice. He secured these interviews by getting into a LinkedIn conference called ‘The Business Show’ which involved big players in the entrepreneurial world. The target audience of the magazine were students who were interested in starting a business. Tim’s high level of innovation convinced him to convert the magazine into an online platform which helped his business to grow; he wanted to distribute the magazine to universities across the UK. Tim eventually sold Entrepreneur Express to Horizon Media, a large media agency from the US, before he went to university.

Tim often had to travel to London to complete deals with other businesses while completing his studies at boarding school. Before this, he was used to living an independent life so adjusting to boarding school was difficult. This was just the beginning of Tim’s entrepreneurial success which has led him on to bigger and better things. He initially chose to study Philosophy, but switched to Computer Science because he wanted to occupy a space where he could contribute the most to society. During his time at university, he has thrived academically and continues to dominate the media industry.

The initial version of his advertising company Fanbytes was launched during Tim’s second year at Warwick, of which Tim is the CEO and co-founder. Fanbytes connects social influencers in Generation Z with advertisers and has networks with brands including: Snapchat, Disney, GoPro, Universal and Warner Music Group. Its work has been recognised by the BBC, Forbes, London Evening Standard and BuzzFeed, to name a few. Tim manages a team of young computer scientists and designers who understand marketing to the younger generation – the average age of the team is 21.

“Being a personal brand is hugely important, it differentiates you from the world.”

Their six-figure annual turnover last year gives the business a valuation within the seven-figure bracket. Tim is aiming to go global with a particular desire to set up offices in the United States. He has also recenty launched his own online content videos called ‘Bytesized’. These videos aim to provide listeners with an understanding of the world of social video; his first video addressed the truth behind the snapchat update.

Tim’s entrepreneurial ability has been proven in a competitive and dynamic world. It is a joy to see excellence continue to flourish in an individual who began his journey in business from a young age. His willingness to share his experiences is a gift to all those who will follow in his footsteps as he inspires the next generation of tech leaders. The future holds exciting prospects for Tim.

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