It started with swapping second-hand Hot Wheels cars and selling home-grown green beans at local markets. I liked the whole process: coming up with an idea, putting something together and seeing if anyone wanted it.

In 1995, aged 14, I discovered fabric paint and hand-painted my first T-shirt. That led to B.L.I.S.S., my first skateboard clothing label, while studying at art college in Scarborough. It later became Seperate[s] Clothing, with designs sold to classmates and fellow skateboarders.

After studying Graphic Communication, I went into digital advertising in London. It was exciting work, but I still wanted to build something of my own.

I left my first agency job to launch Amend Your Bullets, a clothing brand inspired by global conflicts and the idea of peace. It taught me about creativity, selling, marketing and the less glamorous side of running a business.

Since then, I've tried everything from hand-painted Vans and personal training to protein ice cream and running a small Japanese restaurant. Some ideas worked better than others. All of them taught me something.

That entrepreneurial instinct is part of how I approach any challenge. I don't just ask how something should look. I want to understand who it's for, how it works, how it gets built and whether it has a reason to exist.