This millennial entrepreneur lost more than £74,000 on Alibaba shares, before tapping into his generation’s love of avocados and influencers—now he’s a self-made millionaire

At The Good Life, you don’t have to imagine what high life looks like anymore: Find real-world inspiration on how the most successful people live their lives.

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Today Luck Meet Timothy Armoo, a London entrepreneur who founded several successful startups, appeared on the cover of business magazines, and became a self-made millionaire – all before turning 30.

Armoo ​​got his first taste of entrepreneurship at the age of 14 (while living in an apartment building), when he started offering tutoring services to college students. He grew the company to 65 tutors in six weeks.

By the age of 17, he had made a successful acquisition selling his Entrepreneur Express publication to Horizon Media, as well as experienced the pain of many failed ventures.

Then, while most students were out partying, Armoo ​​spent his second year of college in 2017 founding Fanbytes, his most successful project to date.

17 years old

The age at which Timothy completed the acquisition.

The influencer marketing company started by connecting social media campaigns with brands and content creators. It soon counted the likes of the UK government, Deliveroo and Samsung among its clients, and by 2022, it had become so lucrative that global media company Brainlabs bought it for an eight-figure sum. Armoo ​​was just 27 years old.

He is now guiding others to follow in his footsteps through consulting, public speaking engagements, and his upcoming book. Cheat Code.

Finance

Luck: What is the best investment you have ever bought?

It was a tough choice between a lithium mine and avocados. I financed the purchase of a lithium mine with some friends and it was a great deal. It returned 63% in a year.

I have also become an investor in a large avocado business in Kenya and this business has been giving exceptional returns of 30-50% per annum.

Don’t invest in things you don’t understand.

Worst?

I got caught up in the stock market craze and bought some bad stocks: I lost £74,111 on Alibaba (I know this because I keep a diary entry to remind myself not to blindly invest in something). I lost £53,241 on Unity. (Another diary entry.)

Luckily, I made these mistakes early on when selling my business and the lessons learned were: “Don’t invest in things you don’t understand” and “think of the downside before thinking of the upside.”

Do you have a wallet?

Yes. I use it to hold my “Help Someone Fund”, which is £250 that I use to help people during the week.

When I say helping, I don’t just mean giving to charity, but also doing it with a purpose. For example, paying for someone’s shopping or giving a taxi home to someone in need. I’ve been doing this for a while, and it really makes me happy when I see someone I can help. It’s a selfish act of selflessness.

I use this money to keep my “Help Others Fund”, which is £250 which I use to help people during the week.

Timothy is carrying a wallet.

What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

The amount of money you make is directly proportional to the skills you have. So if you want to make more money, improve your money making skills. It could be things like marketing, sales or team management.

Ideally you have skills that can be used to solve big problems because the more problems you solve, the more money you make.

Best Investment:

What subscription service can’t you live without?

YouTube premium.

I actually think if they increased it to £1,000 a month it would still be manageable. The amount I learned on YouTube was a game changer.

Where do you usually wear your watch?

I’m not really a watch person. I have a sentimental watch from a family member that I recently lost in an axe throwing competition! So mostly Apple Watches at the moment. My friends have tried to convince me to get a Patek or AP but I’m very “meh” about that.

Essential needs

How do you get to work?

I just walk to my office on London Bridge.

How do you drink coffee every day?

I don’t drink coffee.

What about eating on the go?

I have a weekly subscription with a company called FuelHub that sends pre-prepared meals on the go. I get 10 meals a week and that’s enough.

Here to make the effort easy.

Count calories, prepare nutritionally balanced meals delivered to your door – https://t.co/ITFGJBnEDG #teamfuelhub #refuelyourbody #fuelyourperformance pic.twitter.com/wJTNRNDe4I

— FUEL CENTER (@fuelhubuk) January 9, 2023

If I go out for lunch, I usually have Farmer J because it gives me the protein and carbs I need. I’ve also recently become a fan of Yolk, which makes great sandwiches.

Where do you buy groceries?

I buy organic eggs from Amazon. Everything else from M&S.

How many times a week do you eat out versus cook at home?

I eat out once a week and usually something protein-rich like a good steak. My favourite is Cut at 45 Park Lane. I also love this place called Casa Do Frango but especially the London Bridge branch. It’s affectionately known as the upmarket Nandos and they have the best chicken in town.

If I have a cheat day (I schedule one a month), I’ll go to a local chip shop. That’s my weakness.

Foods

Are you the proud owner of any future gadgets?

I own a Remarkable Notebook, they are my great companion everywhere I go. I no longer need different notebooks.

I also absolutely love my Nothing EarPhones. I got them as a gift at a founders retreat and they are the best headphones I have ever owned. I am a huge Apple fan but the fact that they always distort when making calls is a turn off for me.

How do you relax after a hard day’s work?

I work out a lot, five days a week. I have two gym memberships: Third space and Gymbox. My friends find it strange but I think Gymbox has the best leg equipment so I use it for leg day. Other days I use Third Space. I also throw axes and play padel regularly.

What is the best gift you have ever bought for yourself?

I only learned to drive in November 2023 so at the beginning of the year I bought myself a Tesla Model X and painted it matte black. I feel like Batman every time I get in the car.

Armoo’s quarterly vacation destinations:

Take us on vacation with you, what’s next on your bucket list?

I take a vacation every three weeks and then a big vacation every quarter. In Q1 it was Japan, and in Q2 it was Brazil. Q3 it will be Vietnam or Costa Rica—I’m not sure yet. And right now I’m at a fitness training camp in Portugal for a week and it’s been great.

At The Good Life, you don’t have to imagine what the high life looks like anymore: Find real-life inspiration from the lives of the most successful people. Explore our other ‘The Good Life’ profiles.

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