Bailey became self-employed at 18 years old, Pretty crazy. He started his business at 17, even crazier! Like most of you, he is young, ambitious and on a mission. He has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and wants to do something about the state of the world. Although he is tackling it from a health and well-being side.
Life started a little rough for him, Single mum, council estates, and the benefits system. He is thankful for the support available, without It he wouldn't want to imagine how much worse life could have been.
At the age of 13, he dropped out of school due to misbehaviour and anxiety, and it was undoubtedly a dark time in his life. However, he eventually mustered the confidence to acknowledge that he needed to take action. That's when he decided to go for a run. Clad in his jeans and a worn-out pair of plimsolls, he began with short bursts of running and walking.
Despite the challenges, he pushed through and kept going. He joined a gym to improve his physical and mental well-being and stuck to a fitness routine that suited him. The positive changes soon became evident in both aspects of his health.
With a newfound sense of confidence, he felt ready to return to school and explore a new passion: boxing he dedicated himself to the sport, fought hard, and eventually became a northern champion. He also achieved the remarkable feat of securing the second position in England Boxing National Development Championships. In 2019, his perseverance and determination led him to be recognized as the 'Under 16 Student of the Year at the Grimsby Telegraph's Golden Apple Awards.
This honour gave him a powerful realisation that he can accomplish meaningful things, even if they don't align with societal expectations. Why is he telling you all this? Backstory he suppose. All great stories require some fat on the bone. So when did he start saying yes? Well, it was only after he learned to say no first. Let him elaborate.
In school, he said no to staying when he didn't want to be there. In his struggles, he said no to carrying on the way he was and decided to exercise. In college, he said no to a course he had no interest in and quit. Then in his first Job, he said no to sticking around when he could have been pursuing his dream and starting his business.
What he likes you to look at though, is where they No’s (Up above in the previous paragraphs) or
where they Yes’. Yes to change, yes to opportunity, yes to making a difference. At 18 he was given a pot of funding to run a women’s only class, to create a safe space for women to exercise without any worries. Let him repeat that. He (An 18-year-old male) Was tasked with creating a space for women to exercise.
It was a challenge, firstly he had not handled that much money before, especially not for his company. He has never really seen any higher than a £20 note, never mind a pot of funding in the thousands. Secondly, he had no clue what women wanted, or needed or how to even appeal to them for this project. But he said YES. Why? New opportunity, a new door had opened. This is what he is trying to get across.
There are two outcomes, success or lessons learnt. There is no failure when it comes to saying yes. The only failure is when you decline opportunities. He went on to hire two females who helped him design the project. We smashed our goal of 50 participants over one year and actually saw 130 women access that project.
My name is Bailey, I'm a 20-year-old founder and CEO, TEDx speaker and social activist from a small northern town called Grimsby, UK.