Tim Hyde is not a typical 26 year old from Greater Manchester.
After starting his career at LadBible aged 18 as the company's 11th employee, he has gone on to work at Social Chain and collaborate with the likes of Eurosport, Ford, Asos, Puma and Spotify.
That was all before he took the plunge himself and founded his own social media marketing agency, TWH Media.
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As a public speaker and brand consultant, Mr Hyde has spoken in front of ASICS, Apple Music and Unicef as well as helping organise talks at universities, WeWork, Glug Events and has keynoted for Sky.
Following his remarkable rise, BusinessLive's How I Made It series caught up with the entrepreneur to discover the secrets of his success and what the future holds.
What does your company do and how did it first start?
"I run a social media marketing agency that specialises in performance marketing.
"I founded the business four and a half years ago after working at a number of prestigious social media businesses (LadBible and Social Chain) which gave me confidence to take the leap and start a venture on my own.
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"Since incorporating TWH Media I've spent more than £100m on Facebook advertising for clients which has generated more than £500m in revenue for businesses such as Missguided, Adidas, Amazon, Dreamworks, Huel, Revolut and many DTC ecommerce companies.
"I’ve also been really fortunate to speak and consult all over the world in places like New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dubai and many more. The opportunity to interact with different people and businesses is something I find really rewarding."
What was your 'Eureka moment' when you realised you had a good business?
"I'm not sure I've had a Eureka moment, but I have had some surreal opportunities and experiences along the way.
"Starting any new business is always risky and I certainly don't consider myself as a huge risk taker, but starting my own business was the next logical step and I was in an extremely fortunate position where I had clients already offering me substantial retainers to look after them independently.
"When I did the maths I worked out that by going solo I was going to double my income, while potentially working less hours.
"By the time I was 21 I was earning more than my parents combined income so that was more of an 'Oh wow' moment and maybe that was the 'Eureka; moment where I realised I was doing what I love and doing it well.
"Other than that, I've been lucky enough to win some awards and getting recognition from your peers definitely gives you confidence that you're doing the right things.
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"Finally, I've had to pinch myself a few times when CEOs from multi-billion-pound companies have called for advice or have flown me out to speak to their teams.
"It feels like a massive honour that such big companies actually trust what I say."
With the beauty of hindsight, what would you tell your younger self when you were starting out?
"Trust the process and trust yourself. Control what you can control. Confidence typically comes from proof of work and when you're starting out, running a business that you have no prior experience in can sometimes feel overwhelming when there's so much to learn so quickly.
"Something I've always been quite good at is listening to people but I have learned that listening to the right people is actually a skill.
"If there's an area where I don't have expertise, I'm always happy to ask for help and follow the recommendations of someone I trust.
"In business it's impossible to know everything but you can set yourself up to be successful by working hard, being good to people and being accountable but the reality is, success isn’t guaranteed."
What does the future hold?
"Hopefully more of the same. I'm very aware of how lucky I am and I love my job and everything that comes with it.
"I am determined to continue working with global brands, travelling and building a reputable business.
"I've always set time aside to recharge at the end of each year and I also use this time to analyse the year as a whole and then set goals for the year to come.
"I'm quite a curious person and love learning and applying myself to new challenges.
"The fast growth and opportunities provided by Web 3.0, NFTs and the blockchain are going to be the next frontier.
"So I'm trying to learn as much as I can and get involved where I can in these types of projects as they are the future."
If you weren't running your current company, what would you be doing?
"I would probably be working at a marketing agency or an online publisher. Social media tends to get a lot of negative press and in some cases rightly so.
"However, I have also seen how many lives it's changed for the better. The power of communication and being able to spread a message to millions of people is still surreal, so doing that for another business is likely where I'd be."
Who is your role model in business?
"I have loads of role models, mentors and people I look up to. Reading about, watching and conversing with other entrepreneurs, business leaders and even professional athletes can give incredible insight.
"I'm a huge believer that you can take influence from how others approach situations, deal with hardship and how people deal with success.
"But the implementation of their advice/strategies needs to be applied in a way that's unique and authentic to you.
"Trying to copy someone else is never going to deliver the results you're after.
"I've been extremely lucky with regards to timing and getting into a fast-growing industry that was in its infancy, like social media.
"The other way I've been lucky is having close friends and a former boss in Steven Bartlett who not only gave me a huge opportunity but gave everyone a peek behind the curtain at what was possible.
"There were so many life lessons and personal growth opportunities through my work at Social Chain that have helped me massively over the last five years since leaving; a growth mindset, the appetite to improve, work ethic and the power of social media are all things I've seen first-hand lead to extraordinary results."
Which business or individual is getting you excited at the moment?
"There are so many amazing businesses emerging out of the 海角视频 and some of them out of the North West – it is an amazing business hub and one of the reasons I have chosen to continue to base myself in the areas that I grew up in.
"I've also got a lot of friends who are entrepreneurs and watching them continue to be successful is amazing and inspiring.
"One business I had the pleasure of working with briefly is Ecologi. Their growth and the mission they are trying to achieve is monumental. Unfortunately in this country (compared to the US) there can often be a lack of support when people set up their own ventures.
"As a community, showing support (even if it's only liking something) can go a long way and that's something I'd love to help promote."
Which business idea do you wish you've had?
"From a business model standpoint any SAAS business with great MRR where founders can be hands off would be really cool.
"I suppose anything in the health-tech or blockchain space is fascinating. I'm certainly not smart enough to have created something innovative within those spaces but the people that have are really going to change the world."