Jamal Edwards: “Amazing ideas to kick-start businesses are hindered by lack of belief”

Research from Ideas Britain revealed that 40 per cent of Brits believe they have an idea that could change the world, but refuse to act on it. 

In fact, only 16 per cent ever take their ideas to the next stage.

“The main barriers for people with an idea are a lack of self-belief as well as the resources to see it through and make it a reality,” said Edwards. 

“Many people don’t know where to start to turn ideas into a business but once they have overcome that initial hurdle, confidence starts to build and the ideas really come to life.”

He goes on to say that few will be able to follow in his footsteps unless more help is given to aspiring entrepreneurs.

After all, “one amazing idea can kick-start a global business, but the first steps are often the hardest,” he suggested. “There are thousands of people out there with an idea like I had.”

Read more about ideas that have reached success – even the more crazier ones – despite what people had to say:

• 10 downright crazy business ideas that worked
• Dragons den rejection meant nothing to the 2014 success of these 4 companies

Edwards himself stumbled across fame per chance.

“I was filming foxes in my garden and then people started to watch it, so I thought I’d go out and film local rappers on my estate,” he recollected in a Money Maker magazine interview. But soon, this turned into interviews and a platform which pushed aspiring rappers to nationwide success. 

“When I was younger, I didn’t necessarily set out to become an entrepreneur, but I wanted to create a platform that the music that meant something to me could be heard on, because MTV didn’t play it. They didn’t cut it, so I said I will.”

Read more about Jamal Edwards:

• Inspiring young British entrepreneurs
• Accidental entrepreneurs who built global businesses
• YouTube entrepreneur secures first outside funding

“But there’s millions of young people who want to make it, but who aren’t sure how,” he explained. “I get hundreds of emails every week from people my age asking me for advice, and although I’ve got a bit more experience than them thanks to the past few years, it’s overwhelming. I try and help as much as I can, and I say to them all, look, I’m just like you, and any other young boy or girl trying to make it, and you can do it if you want it enough.”

Edwards stresses that “they have no idea how to get going”, and therein lies the problem.

So the 24-year-old online pioneer has thrown his support behind the launch of Ideas Britain, which differs from ‘Dragon’s Den’-style competitions and crowdfunding by welcoming ideas at the earliest stages, as well as those with a developed business plan.

Interestingly, ideas can be submitted vis phone, whereby Brits will compete for virtual investment to win the chance of real-world commercial backing.

By Shané Schutte

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