It started with a decision to take a different path.

I followed the conventional education route in England and secured a place at university in York. I was ambitious, but I wasn't convinced that the traditional route was the right one for me.

Before university, I took a gap year and got my first real exposure to business, marketing and entrepreneurship. I went on to university as planned, but it didn't take long for me to realise where my future really was.

I left university to build a business.

It was a risk — and, at the time, there was certainly no guarantee that it would work.

From selling a niche product to building businesses

One of my earliest opportunities came from meeting the owner of a small business who had developed a niche product but lacked the experience to market and sell it online.

We agreed that I would become a distributor.

Sales grew, orders increased and before long I was spending more time picking and packing products than actually growing the business.

That's when I discovered Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA).

What initially solved a logistics problem became the start of something much bigger.

I immersed myself in Amazon, eCommerce and digital marketing — learning how products were launched, positioned, advertised and scaled online.

Over time, those skills led to opportunities to work with businesses and brands across numerous industries, from start-ups and manufacturers to established and international brands.

From entrepreneur to advisor

As my experience grew, businesses increasingly began approaching me not just to sell products, but for advice, strategy and training.

That ultimately developed into a much wider mission:

helping entrepreneurs and businesses start, build and grow.

I've since worked with hundreds of businesses, brands and entrepreneurs, supporting everything from Amazon and eCommerce growth to marketing, technology, automation and business development.

Today, much of that work sits within The Advice Centre Ltd, the company I founded to bring together specialist advice, training and technology for businesses.

Building what's next

My interests have never been limited to one marketplace, one industry or one way of doing business.

Today, I'm involved in building and developing businesses, technology and new ventures through The Shelton Organisation Ltd, while continuing to lead The Advice Centre and develop new ways of combining human expertise with AI and technology.

Some projects start as ideas. Others begin with a problem that needs solving. Some we build ourselves; others involve working alongside entrepreneurs, businesses and partners.

The common thread is growth.

Start. Build. Grow.

That's been a significant part of my own journey — and it's what continues to drive the businesses and projects I'm building today.