Teen turns £500 eBay side hustle into a multi-million pound company

24 December 2023 , 13:00

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Ben said he only around £500 when he started the business (Image: Hull Live WS)

It's easy to feel like a baller when you sell an old t-shirt on Depop for more than a tenner.

But, one teenager took his side hustle of selling things on eBay and has managed to turn it into a multi-million pound company. The mini entrepreneur started his business from his bedroom at 19, where he started out with just £500.

Now, Ben Ewart, from Hull, is the Managing Director of Switch Electronics - one of the fastest growing distributors of electrical components in the UK, which sells a range of components including sensors, wires and fuses. By 2020, the company received its one millionth order, and added a bunch of employees following its 'rapid growth'.

Ben's business began from a single eBay shop (Hull Live WS)

Ewart first launched the business in 2013 when he spotted a gap in the market to buy electrical components directly from manufacturers in China and sell them at cheaper prices than UK retailers, including Maplin. According to Hull Live, the entrepreneur said back in 2020: "I was 19 when I began importing a few bits from China, and selling them on eBay. I think I started out with about £500 in my pocket.

"The original aim was to be a professional golfer, and was doing this in my spare time. It eventually got to a point where it was expanding so fast that the other job I was doing became a bit redundant. When I was 21, I got my first warehouse space in Beverley, and it grew from there."

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Ben first launched his business from his business aged 19 (Hull Live WS)

Inspired by successful entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Lord Alan Sugar, Elon Musk and Peter Jones, Ewart began to expand its product range once he quickly outgrew his first warehouse. "In the near future I will probably have to move again," he added.

"I need a bigger space, and we want to take a few more people on as well. In the industry there are some really big names, and one day I would like to get to where they are today." Looks like Ewart was right. In 2021, the business opened a 7,000 square feet warehouse and was receiving more than 25,000 orders per month.

Last year, he was also given the 'Young Entreprenuer Award' and finished the annum with the brand's most 'successful year to date'. For other entrepreneurs aspiring to create businesses, he advised bravery in launching the endeavour.

"My best piece of advice would be to just go for it," he said. "Starting a business when you are a teenager is the perfect time, because you haven’t got as much to lose. When you get older you end up with a mortgage to pay and a family, and you need that reliable income. But when you are younger, I think you can afford to take more of a risk. Just take the risk and go for it.”

Did your side hustle turn into an empire? Email [email protected]

Phil Winter