The boy who succeeded in business at 11 years old
Ben Towers created his first website at 11 years old and has not stopped since: he set up his own company and led a merger worth several million euros
Ben Towers himself, on his LinkedIn page, explains how it all began in 2010, when he was 11 years old:
“I have always felt a passion for technology and creativity and, when I was 11, a family friend challenged me to design a website for her. This led me to take on more independent website projects (initially for friends, but later for clients I did not know before).”
Ben used videos from Youtube to learn how to build a website from scratch. From that moment, Ben Towers, born in September 1998, began to thrive in his ventures in a meteoric rise that led him to be recognized as the “smartest boy in the world” by The Times magazine in 2015 and to be a featured speaker at several programs and conferences.
After spending about a year and a half designing websites, Ben worked as a flyer distributor for the local newspaper to fund his businesses, but as he explains, over time he began to develop “business insight” and managed to have his own sister do the work for him, paying her a share of what he was paid in return.
Ben Towers, the enterprising boy
Later on (between 2014 and 2016), as he recounts, he was asked to work for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) - an organization representing small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom - to help them build their strategy and launch a new initiative to involve younger people (NextGen, which later became Connect).
His career as a speaker began when he was contacted by Young Start-up Talent, a community aimed at young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 25 who seek to start their own business, to speak at their final event.
“I quickly realized the positive impact they were having on future businesspeople. This led me to get involved as interim director to work on growing the brand, improving the offer for young people and sponsors, and providing more information about young people for businesses.”
Ben Towers: from hobby to company with more than 26 people
Finally, when Ben Towers was 13 years old, he turned his “independent hobby” into a business, which he named “Towers Design” and where he hired himself as an apprentice.
At first, it was just him in a room, but over time, he began to contact larger brands - thanks to advertising, knowledge, and trust -.
The business soon became a marketing agency offering full services: he hired an advisor to help build the company’s structure, began hiring staff - eventually having a team of 26 people - and running campaigns for brands such as Pot Noodle, Mazars, and Amazon.
Ben Towers, the enterprising boy
In April 2017, he decided to leave the business and merge it with Zest The Agency, where he became director and focused on growing its youth engagement offer. Among its clients are Virgin Racing, Virgin Care, Expedia, South Eastern Trains, and Kent County Council.
From that moment, Ben Towers became an investor in several companies such as Griplt, miiCare, ZingZing, PRESS London, Oval Money, GoodBox, Dog Trust, and BrewDog.
Currently, and since 2015, Ben Towers has especially dedicated himself to being a main speaker at several conferences and a business adviser, using his experience in carrying out marketing campaigns for brands such as Champneys, Mazars, and the UK government.
Additionally, Ben Towers also collaborates with Bullies Out, a charity that helps support and inform young people, schools, and businesses about bullying and its effects.
According to Ben, his role is to “promote the work of Bullies Out and raise awareness about bullying.”
“After experiencing the problem firsthand, when I wanted to thrive and run my own business, I know exactly the effects it can have and that is why I give massive support” to this organization, he explained in a LinkedIn post.
