- Laurence Moss, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from the UK, spent lockdown scaling up his influencer marketing startup Greedy Growth.
- The influencer marketing space is growing rapidly, with predictions the industry could be worth close to $15 billion globally by 2022.
- Even though the pandemic forced a lot of companies to cut back their marketing budgets, Moss says that only forced him to "work twice as hard".
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
For many teenagers, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a time of unique uncertainty and anxiety.
Lockdowns worldwide have led to a host of indoor and outdoor activities being banned, not to mention vacations delayed, schools closed, and exams canceled altogether.
But for Laurence Moss, a 16-year-old wannabe entrepreneur from the suburbs of Kent, to the southeast of London, lockdown presented an opportunity to make his side hustle – influencer marketing brand Greedy Growth – a full-time pursuit.
"I don't think I'd be in the position I am now if it hadn't been for COVID-19," Moss told Business Insider. "Obviously it came at a tricky time, because a lot of companies were cutting back on their marketing budgets.
"But, to be honest, that really only pushed me to work twice as hard."
The influencer marketing industry has been on the rise for several years now, and is expected to be worth $15 billion globally by 2022, according to figures compiled by Mediakix.
A passion project that grew from the time he spent vlogging on YouTube and building followings across a range of Instagram pages filled with viral content, Moss says Greedy Growth currently has rolling contracts with 15 clients, helping them with everything from audience engagement to targeted campaigns.
In May, Moss said monthly revenue stood at around £1,500 (or $2,000). He expects that to more than double to £4,000 (or $5,300) by the end of August.
"When I started out, I was like 14 and I definitely didn't have it in my mind that I was being entrepreneurial. It was mostly something I'd do for fun," he said. "I've just been sort of bumbling along ever since."
Moss admits he hasn't figured out quite how he's going to balance Greedy Growth with his A-level studies when he returns to school next month, but he's clearly a fast learner.
He laughed: "I'm like a monster just eating information."
You can learn more about Greedy Growth here.
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