Past pupil shortlisted for business award

Ben O'Connor, a past pupil of St. Mary's, has been nominated for an award and featured on Belfast Live last week.

A teenage business owner from Co Down has shared his delight at receiving two nominations for a prestigious entrepreneurial awards.

Ben O'Connor from Castlewellan launched his first business aged just nine and has gone on to launch a number of other ventures over the past five years.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Ben recalled how he launched his first business and the challenges he faces as a young businessman.

"I grew up on a farm and my granda had an old-fashioned wood stove," he said.

"We used to have a lot of old trees about the yard and I used to cut them. Then I realised that I could sell them and I did that for a few years.

"I then expanded into selling Christmas ornaments and other ornaments which got me shortlisted for Young Entrepreneur at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. After that, I noticed that farming TikToks were growing in popularity so I set up a farming Tik Tok and that has led to brand partnerships and stuff."

This year, Ben spotted a gap in the market when he noticed a growing trend of burr baskets on TikTok but found that there was nobody selling them locally.

"There was no company selling premade burr baskets so I decided to try and fill that gap in the market and launched Giftery," he added.

"My first plan was to launch a Christmas box but I decided to try and get in there early and launch a spring-themed box.

"It has been very difficult to launch a business being so young because it's hard to find people who will take you seriously and suppliers are trying to work out if they can work with a fourteen year old."

Ben said that he has had difficulty working with suppliers and agencies after they find out that he is 14.

"However, my biggest challenge has been getting stuff ready on time. I put my first order in with suppliers in January but with everything that is going right now, shipping is facing extreme delays but I have been happy to get them out this week."

Ben has been shortlisted for Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Retail and E-Commerce StartUp of the Year Award in Northern Ireland at the regional heats of the UK StartUp Awards.

"At the minute I am still in school so I hope that I can continue with the business. I am currently working on my next product idea which I hope to launch for Christmas. So I am getting mock-ups from suppliers and I hope that I can expand into the UK market after that," he said.

As he is still in school, Ben has to balance running his business with his school work and helping out on the family farm.

"When I am in school I try and get all my work done in class so that I don't have any homework," he explained. "I come home and help my da and my brother on the farm, get my dinner then start working on the business.

"I have been lucky to meet with a couple of local business people who have given me some advice and in terms of suppliers, I have set a quality policy where a supplier must meet strict requirements or I am unfit to work with them. I request a sample product and if that isn't up to standards then I won't be doing business with them."

Ben told us that he hopes his business goes well so that he can recruit staff but ultimately, he wants to pursue a career in law. However, he has said that if his business continues to be a success, then he might reconsider.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the UK StartUp Awards, said: “Start-up businesses are the lifeblood of any economy, being responsible for new jobs, innovation and wealth creation across the UK.

"All the finalists this year represent the best of those entrepreneurs who have spotted an opportunity and through their sheer hard work, talent and perseverance, have created amazing new businesses that are creating real impact in their sectors.

"Building on the success of previous years, we are now looking to identify the ‘best of the best’ with all the finalists who win their category in their region going on to represent their region at the first ever UK National StartUp Awards final later this year."