Fortune's Rising Star - Max Kensit, millionaire at 17

Starting a business is tricky business for anyone let alone a 17-year-old, but rising star Max Kensit has dreamed of being an entrepreneur since he was small;

"It had always been something I'd wanted to do," he told us,

"I'd always wanted to be financially independent, I hated the thought of having to rely on others for income, the idea of slaving my life away just for someone else to pocket the profits has never appealed to me."

Kensit is not the only one with this mindset, of course, you've probably already seen the Tiktoks and reels floating around online pushing the idea of 'financial independence', a new movement towards working for oneself and having enough passive income to provide for yourself without having to actively work. Though Kensit isn't fully into the idea that the online movement pushes, citing his own definition of the phrase:

"Financial independence for me is being able to work for yourself, not being owned by anyone or owing anything to anyone. I'm not sure how much I agree with the definition that pushes financial independence as a way to earn money without actually working, I much prefer active income to passive, I like to feel as if what I have is earnt through my own labour."

Max Kensit is the 17-year owner of two major businesses: MKs Enterprise and (n/a) though you may not have heard of them, Kensit racks in upwards of £1.5 million in a year with the joint profits of both businesses, started when he was just 14 and 16. MKs Enterprise, an Essex-based business where Kensit buys and sells electronics earns quite a bit of cash, but the real sticker is Aeron international a company which refurbishes and resells office chairs.

"I saw a gap in the market and I filled it," explained Kensit, "Though I could never have expected it to blow up as much as it did! It's absolutely nuts."

Kensit in his small storage facility in Shenfield, Essex where Aeron International is run

Aeron International is currently the number one seller of fully refurbished & pre-owned Herman Miller Aeron chairs in the UK and earns Kensit over £1 million pounds annually. The business has grown so much that Kensit has drawn the ire of established chair refurbishing businesses o the market.

"I'd imagine it's a shock when they find out that their biggest competitor is a 17-year-old running their business out of a small storage facility in Shenfield. I've even had cases of other businesses trying to sabotage me, you wouldn't think the chair refurbishing business is this competitive!"

When asked about what advice he'd give to young budding entrepreneurs, Kensit said this:

"Find a gap in the market that you know that you can fill, everyone has something special that they're good at, utilise it. Try and find creative ways to switch up an existing formula and don't be afraid to take risks while you're still young!"

Max Kensit is one of FORTUNE'S RISING STARS(TM) for March 2023, to find out how you could be next click here