Piers Linney was seemingly destined to be an entrepreneur. Starting his first business aged just 13, he has gone on to be one of the UK\u2019s most successful business leaders investors, and speaking to Michael Hayman on Capital Conversation, Piers discussed the importance of that early start:<\/p>\n
\u201cI learnt early on that by finding a niche and monetising it you can create value, create wealth, even if in those days it was to buy a BMX!”<\/p>\n
Whilst his sights are now set significantly higher, Piers attributes much of his success to those early experiences, arguing they developed resilience in a notoriously cut-throat industry:<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople see you on the mountain tops, they don\u2019t see you battling through the valleys in-between. It was extremely hard for me to get into the city, I literally had meetings where I said \u2018just give me a chance. If I\u2019m rubbish, fire me,\u2019 and people did!\u201d<\/p>\n
With success came recognition, and having been a part of BBC\u2019s \u2018Dragon\u2019s Den\u2019 for two years, Piers now hopes to utilise his platform to change the face of entrepreneurship for the better. A large part of this is Piers\u2019 fight for greater inclusivity, something he experienced coming up through the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat journey has made me who I am, but it is certainly less diverse as you get near the top. That\u2019s something that needs to change, and that isn\u2019t done incrementally, it needs radical reform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Piers is also passionate about ‘preparing people, especially children for becoming the new generation of entrepreneurs, despite some common misconceptions about entrepreneurship:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hear now that entrepreneurs are the new rock stars, and that\u2019s dangerous. Business isn\u2019t something to take lightly, it\u2019s a life-changing decision. You can\u2019t go onto YouTube and expect you\u2019ll be a billionaire overnight, that\u2019s just not true.\u201d<\/p>\n