Young entrepreneur leads business debate
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ATRAILBLAZING young entrepreneur from Widnes has shared insights with professionals at a business start-up event in Manchester.
Lydia Jones, 17, of Cronton, was the youngest in the room but did not let her age hold her back having been asked by a Natwest Bank representative to be on the panel at the Old Granada Studios.
Alongside gin distillers, tech experts and tailors she discussed how to start a business, dealing with limited budgets and whether it is possible to be too young to become an entrepreneur.
Lydia, who studies computer science at Priestley College, made headlines when she launched her FitFlash app in 2016, which attracted users from around the world.
She was asked to appear on the panel at the ‘I Am Entrepreneur’ event after applying for support from Entrepreneurial Spark, which is supported by RBS and NatWest.
The tech-savvy teen will now have access to Entrepreneurial Spark’s Manchester hub for at least six months including free office space, access to contacts, a start-up boot camp as well as dedicated mentoring from KPMG advisors, workshops and training.
She said: “I didn’t know I was going to be on the panel until I got there, but I wasn’t intimidated.
“We were asked about the emotional side of getting a company off the ground and our goals before starting a business. This is an amazing opportunity for myself and my cofounder Daniel. We have a new idea that people seem quite excited about so we are looking to push that forward now by growing our team.
“I believe with us both being young and self-taught this gives us a huge advantage especially within the Manchester tech scene.”