
Ben Lawton had already developed the idea for his business while he was at sixth form college, as he would regularly modify his friends? Xbox controllers and charge them a fee for doing so. However, A-levels had forced him to put this little sideline on hold until he got to university.
?I decided to check out if there was anyone who was offering a similar service already in the UK,? he said. ?To my surprise there wasn?t so I knew I had to fill this gap in the market.? Custom Controllers UK was established in November 2012, offering repair and modification services. Today, it?s the country?s leading manufacturer for customised gaming controllers, specialising in Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 Controllers. The company?s team customise controllers by hand with up to 250 different designs. Lawton, 21, had always been encouraged to start his own business and think entrepreneurially from a young age because his mother ran her own business while he was growing up. ?I was really inspired by her because not only did she invent her own products but she then managed to develop her own company,? he said. Through his school he sold drinks and chocolate bars earning him around ?150 per week. At college he started running his own student nights with a friend. This involved hiring a club midweek, setting up a Facebook page and inviting the entire college. ?Before we knew it everybody wanted to attend and the tickets just sold out,? he said. ?We would turnover around ?1500 per event. After leaving college, I had enough finance behind me to start Custom Controllers UK.? At first he listed his products on eBay and as soon as they sold and he had received payment he would use these funds to buy the raw materials and make new products. He would then send them out. After a few months he invested all of his available funds ?around ?300 ? and borrowed another ?300 from his parents to buy new stock in order to try to extend his product range slightly.? This helped, and as sales increased he applied for a grant from the Trinity Enterprise Centre at Leeds Trinity University, where he was now studying ? receiving around ?800. ?This was a great help, as the university also provided useful tax advice and business support,? he said. ?I recently received huge investments from family members to help build mass amounts of stock that will be crucial for this Christmas.? Read more about school-based entrepreneurs:- C&J Heating & Plumbing’s role in leading culture change of plumbing sector
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