Age 16-18
Ethan runs his own business which has over 50,000 clients and is still growing. The business – a DAB radio station called Fresh – has office premises, a purpose-built radio studio, employs staff, and broadcasts in the Birmingham area to thousands of people.
A former St Thomas More High School pupil, Ethan, from Romford, studied A Levels in French, English Literature and Psychology and left the Sixth Form in 2017 to travel to France where he is studying French at the University of London Institute in Paris. Ethan also gives back to the community by completing many hours of anonymous volunteering for charity.
He found he was able to grow his business while at college – which had around 15,000 clients when he started – as well as successfully complete his A Levels and he puts this down to the fact that college life allowed him the flexibility to do both.
He says: “Whilst at college, my business had really begun to take off and it required lots of my time. I found I was able to manage working on my business and college studies quite efficiently due to the unrestricted nature of our free time and the fact we were treated like adults in being able to manage our own time efficiently.
“My tutors were also very understanding and this attitude and flexibility allowed me to continue to grow my business to a level I never expected.”
Ethan first started getting involved with online business ideas at the age of about 11. He researched how web hosting worked and joined together with a group of friends to start a small, unofficial venture providing friends and family with web hosting services. From there, he was introduced to internet radio thanks to his now business partner, Aaron, and his interest in it.
In 2013, the two boys decided to start their own company called SHOUTca.st (now parented by Unmuted Limited), which specialises in providing innovative and modern internet radio solutions at an incredible price.
The service started with an initial investment of £100 and they had a month to turn a profit, otherwise it would have to close. Ethan says: “It was done on a complete gamble with minimal chances of succeeding. But much to our surprise, we managed to turn a profit and it all went from there!”
He added: “My team and I are extremely proud of what we have achieved and we aim to continue growing the business for the foreseeable future!
For more information, visit Fresh at http://freshonair.co.uk and SHOUTca.st at https://shoutca.st
