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‘As an entrepreneur my job is to be a hype-man and recruiter’

Founded in 2016 by then 23-year-old George Melhuish, this West Bromwich based company supports over 30,000 customers. Safe Fence is a manufacturer, hirer, distributor and installer of non-mechanical construction site plant. Expansion into areas such as groundworks, scaffolding and material handling equipment has seen sales more than double in two years, reaching £13.8m in 2021.

Disclaimer: The statements made by our interviewees are an expression of their own views and opinions and in no way reflect FEBE Ventures’ views or opinions, nor are such views or opinions endorsed or supported by us.

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The twins set to shake up the cosmetics industry

Beijing-born twins Jake Xu and Shane Carnell-Xu launched this men’s cosmetics brand in 2019 after raising funds from angel investors Sally Preston and Neil Mather of Kiddylicious, the children’s snack business. Bestsellers in Shakeup’s skincare and makeup range include moisturiser, under eye concealer and face masks. The brand is stocked by national and overseas retailers, such as Harvey Nichols, Superdrug and Australia’s Myer, and it recently launched its new Face 4ward range in China. The Xu brothers previously set up READY, a creative agency based in Bath.

“How I became a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur.”

Jay Richards’ life nearly ended in unmitigated disaster, but his passion for business saved him. Today, his ingenious start-up bridges the growing gap between brands and Generation-Z. As a business, how do you appeal to Generation-Z – those people born from 1995 onwards? How do you sell yourself to schoolkids and fresh-faced young adults in a language they understand?

“It feels like we cheated the system – entrepreneurship is meant to be risky”

Charlie Green doesn’t believe he ever took a risk while co-creating his £500m business, The Office Group. “We just did what made sense,” he says. And he has some simple advice for anyone thinking of following in his footsteps. Starting with ‘Step one: use a proven business model’…

‘How we turned the challenge of COVID-19 into the opportunity of a lifetime’

The story you are about to read contains a particularly pure and intoxicating brand of entrepreneurial spirit. High-proof and triple-distilled, it warms the soul, inducing feelings of optimism and inspiration. If you were to ask – Siri, what is entrepreneurial spirit? – Apple’s virtual assistant could do worse than read you this…

‘What creates good entrepreneurship? Obsession!’

This year, Meatless Farm launched a vegan steak made from pea protein, adding to its range of plant-based food that includes meat free mince, burgers and chicken. Danish entrepreneur Morten Toft Bech founded the Leeds-based business in 2016. It opened production hubs in the Netherlands and Canada last year and now exports to more than […]

How my side hustle became a multi-million pound business

Lucy Locket Loves makes colourful fitness clothing and accessories for women. The Derbyshire business caters for a wide range of body shapes, with sizes spanning six to 26. Former personal trainer Lucy Arnold founded the company in 2018 after suffering a back injury. While recovering, she created leggings to sell to former clients. Customers include Made In Chelsea star Rosie Fortescue and the company launched a collection with Strictly’s Dianne Buswell last year.