Steven Bartlett has a CV that would put most entrepreneurs to shame. A university dropout, he's living proof that self-confidence and a bit of business acumen go a very long way. Oh, and his allure is by no means dampened by the fact he breaks the stereotypical mogul mold by dressing well and harboring a physique that's more ripped than most Instagram PTs.
Naturally, the Botswana-born, Plymouth-raised personality has a lot to offer those starting out in business. One such example of this is how Bartlett recently found himself the prize of eBay’s WINtern Tiktok initiative, whereby small business owners were given the chance to win him as an intern for the day. “It was one of the most energizing things I've ever done,” Bartlett tells us as we connect over Zoom. “To get to go to someone's business and give them the crucial advice I wish someone had given me while playing the role of their intern… And when I say I was their intern, I really was their intern – I cleaned, I made them tea, and of course, while I was doing this, I was giving them advice.”
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Steven Bartlett’s experience as a young entrepreneur is particularly valuable in a time when starting a new business presents more challenges than ever. “There are just 100 things that you should be doing and have to do, and the probability that you are skilled and experienced in all 100 things is pretty much impossible," he says. “As an entrepreneur, you have to be really cognizant of all the things you don't know that you don't know. This is why mentorship can play a role, but quite honestly the more useful thing is the internet. The internet knows everything.”
As for Bartlett’s advice to those who have a great idea but lack the confidence and resources to get it off the ground, Bartlett’s advice is tried and tested: “The first thing I do is make a ten-page deck. The first page is always the name, I explain the problem I’m trying to solve in the two slides thereafter, the next few slides are how I'm trying to solve it, and then I might go into a few other things around the idea, depending on the industry it’s in.
“If you are to be successful in any business, you'll have to tell thousands of people about your idea. People might be surprised to hear I've never written a business plan in my life, but I've always made that ten-page deck. I've done it maybe five times, and of those five times, two of them are nine-figure businesses. One of them is an eight-figure business, one of them failed and one of them hasn't launched yet.”
There you have it – time to dust off the old PowerPoint skills. But deck or no deck, a slew of young brands seem to be battling the odds in these most challenging times, and Bartlett is well acquainted with those really standing out. From the two companies that he interned with as part of eBay's WINtern competition, to a fast-growing Mancunian fashion brand and a sustainably-minded solution to bottled water, here Steven Bartlett has curated five new businesses he thinks every GQ reader should have on their radar.
