Chichester entrepeneur who set up his business aged 15 to to give talk to young people alongside Gillian Keegan

Luke Mead, CEO of the LMS Group based in Quarry Lane, set up his business aged 15 and will be telling his story at a Chamber of Commerce event in October, alongside government minister and Chichester MP Gillian Keegan

The 29-year-old business owner will be taking to the virtual stage at the Young Chamber of Commerce Pilot Event Online, held via Zoom at 2pm on October 16.

He will be speaking alongside Chichester MP, Gillian Keegan, who was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills earlier this year.

Luke will be bringing a message of hope to young people in Britain, who he feels have had a really tough year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He says he wants to inspire young people to start businesses, embrace technology and build great futures.

“It’s been a rough year for young people and I think everyone in business should be concerned about what’s happening to the next generation coming through," he said.

“When I was 15 and growing up in Arundel, I was able to start my own business, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I was really struggling at school, I wasn’t interested, but starting a business was a way to do something positive.

“I want young people to know there is a world of opportunity out there now. Although things are tough in 2020, there’s been an explosion of new technologies, online tools and ways to make money, that didn’t exist when I started.”

Luke started off by creating flyers for his early stage computer repairs business.

He raided his school’s photocopier, ran out the toner and spent the weekend with a friend, leafleting over 5,000 homes. The first customer calls came trickling through and soon, Luke was in business.

“After school, I’d be going out every day and fixing computers. Before I could drive, my parents had to drop me off at jobs and then wait outside.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way, but in business you learn really fast,” he added.

“I’m really excited to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs come through. My dream is for a young person to attend this Chamber event, start up and then contact me further down the line, having launched a great business.”

The event is aimed at 18-29 year olds from anywhere in the UK who are interested in starting up, apprenticeships or businesses that are looking to help young people. To find out more and sign up for the event, visit: https://www.chichestercci.org.uk/event/young-chamber-of-commerce-pilot-event