16 Year Old Entrepreneur Sold Chinese Dresses As Maternity Tops
Ollie Forsyth is not the first 16-year-old entrepreneur out there. Daria did it 20 years ago. Her story is quite different.
Daria Taylor, now the co-founder of the digital marketing agency Talented Heads, started her first business at 16 and has been a serial entrepreneur ever since.
Below is her story, in her own words:
Not satisfied with the status quo
I’ve always been a problem solver. There are so many flaws in how things are done and so many ways to improve them. Unfortunately, most people are blind to solutions and take the lazy “it’s-always-been-done-like-this” route.
I started working at 16 in a restaurant in Northern England. I couldn’t understand how someone could work for 8 hours a day and only be paid £25! This was the amount I spent in one evening. I couldn’t accept it. How could anyone live the life everyone deserves—own a house, have children, travel—with the little money I was making as a waitress?
The only logical conclusion back then was to take on more work, because more hours meant more money—or so I thought. So, I started working in a retail clothing shop on weekends, too.
2004 was the year when ordinary people started selling items on eBay. It was a cool new way of making good money. I loved clothes and spent all my money on them. One day, I asked myself, “Why can these everyday people sell online, but I can’t?” They were just like me.
Retail taught me that you can buy things cheaper, sell them for more, and pocket the difference.
So, I started looking for websites where I could buy clothes in bulk. Ten years ago, the internet was in its infancy, and sites like Alibaba didn’t exist, so finding ways to buy clothes online was a real challenge.
I sold Chinese dresses as maternity tops
Finally, I found a website that sold dresses. Their minimum order was 10 items, which was perfect since I didn’t want to buy too many initially.
These 10 dresses were delivered in a shoebox—haha. The quality was awful, and the sizes were disproportionate and odd (short in length but with large waistlines). I realized that these dresses were made for Asian women, who are generally smaller in size.
I used all my savings to buy them, so there was no way I would give up. I had to make this work. I had to figure out a way to sell these poorly made dresses.
My first thought was to modify them: add attractive belts to hide the large waistline and stitch on something to make them look edgier.
But first, I had to sell some of my proper clothes to earn credit, trust, and positive feedback on eBay. I had to get rid of half of my wardrobe, but it was worth it.
I ended up selling the strange Chinese dresses as maternity tops, and it took me only a week to sell them all.
It was unbelievable! I did it! I made a 55% profit, and they weren’t even real maternity tops.
A few hours of selling online made me as much money as a week in the shop.
The spirit of entrepreneurship was born!
Then I got it. I understood that it wasn’t about the hours I put in but about the value I provided. If I could convince buyers that my Chinese dresses were “maternity tops,” I could do anything.
It’s about thinking on your feet, being street-smart, and having fun. I learned this at a pretty young age.
I was hooked.
What makes the story even more peculiar is that one of the buyers left very positive feedback on eBay, saying that these maternity tops were the best-fitting tops she’d ever worn.
Haha! Unbelievable.
I quit my job at the clothing shop and soon started selling bags and more dresses online.
I carried on for two years, making a very comfortable living, and kept my restaurant job just to tell people about my online business.
It all went well for quite a while, but then eBay made trading harder.
It was also a time when I had to decide whether to go to university or start a bigger, better business. I went with the latter and have no regrets! There are many benefits of starting a business at a young age.
My first proper business (aged 18)
My first proper business was offering Personal Assistant services for people and companies. It quickly evolved into a Lifestyle Management business. We did everything for the rich and busy: finding cleaners, booking meetings and flights, shopping, filtering emails. However, I soon realized the business was taking over my life. I had to take many risks with minimal returns, and the money I earned was just comfortable enough, so it wasn’t worthwhile to continue. I sold this business, and it’s doing well now.
After selling my business, I had to decide what to do next and decided to work for someone else again—this time doing something that was better paid and that I genuinely enjoyed.
The idea of being an employee seemed safe, steady, and easy. I joined the fastest-growing start-up at that time and held a very well-paid position. I liked it, learned a lot, but always knew deep down that it wasn’t for me. I hated working for someone else and reporting to people.
I didn’t understand why I was so unhappy. I had a great job, excellent salary, and a loving husband, but I wasn’t free.
Only happy to work for myself
I’m a very honest person who likes to speak their mind, and what I hated most about being an employee was that I had to think twice before saying something. The authority, hierarchy, and office politics were killers. I didn’t like it, and if I wanted to be happy, I knew I had to work for myself and manage my own time.
So I started to explore other opportunities. I wanted to make money without going anywhere, or working under anyone.
My first idea was to set up a charity to help young people find employment. It was the time of the financial crisis, and the number of young unemployed people was at a record high in the UK. I felt that young people lacked the experience and confidence I had, and I wanted to help them.
Meeting the right people at the right time
Then Natalie, my current business partner at Talented Heads, came into the picture. We met on Twitter. She wanted to set up a cleaners’ marketplace (think PeoplePerHour, but for cleaners), and since cleaning had been a big part of my Lifestyle Management business years ago, we met up for coffee to discuss possible business opportunities.
Funnily enough, we didn’t bond over the business plan we initially met up for. Instead, we realized how alike we were as young people—Generation Y. We shared similar ways of thinking. We both understood the challenges young people face regarding work and felt that employers didn’t understand us.
We started sharing our stories on the Talented Heads blog. The satisfaction we got from speaking our minds and making a positive change for our generation was far more fulfilling than we’d imagined, so we transformed Talented Heads into a business.
It was the best decision we could have made. We now work with exciting companies and speak at innovative conferences worldwide.
It feels great because we’re not only solving companies’ problems but also doing justice for our own generation. We’re changing the world of business rather than just businesses. We’re part of a huge mindset shift, and that’s unbelievably rewarding.
Key takeaways
- It’s not about the hours you put in; it’s about the value you provide. Be a product, not a laborer.
- Nobody is the fastest-growing company from the start; they get there with small, experimental steps. Be it small or risky—take it. Create your own opportunities by taking chances.
- Things won’t always go your way, and you’ll face setbacks—don’t let them break you or make you give up.
- Most people are lazy and think inside the box. Be creative, dare to break the rules, and change the world.
- Surround yourself with great people. Network on social media, attend events, cross-pollinate contacts between industries, talk to people about your passion. Success is about being in the right place at the right time.
- Say yes to challenges and work out the details later. There’s never a moment when you’re 100% ready—don’t wait for it.
- Trust your gut; if it doesn’t feel right, change it. You deserve an awesome life!
If your time is your money, you’ll never have enough.