'I left school at 15 and now my businesses turn over millions'

'I left school at 15 and now my businesses turn over millions' Adam Thornhill left school at 15 with no GCSEs A 27-year-old who left school without a single GCSE now runs companies on course to turn over more than £2 million this year. Adam Thornhill is now calling on schools to teach entrepreneurship as the UK grapples with a youth unemployment crisis. Adam's entrepreneurial spark was ignited in Year 9 after he moved in with his uncle when his single mother fell ill. He started flogging sweets in the playground and even purchased second-hand cars for his uncle to sell on his behalf, before leaving school at 15 having failed to pass his GCSEs. By 17, he had amassed £20,000 through side hustles and working as a gas engineering apprentice, using the funds to launch his first venture, a taxi leasing firm. In 2021, he set up a travel agency, and two years later – following a short stint living in the Netherlands – he relocated to Dubai, where he established a consultancy helping expats set up businesses in the UAE, alongside a property investment firm. Adam, whose father spent most of his teenage years behind bars and recently received a fresh 15-year sentence, says he "cannot believe" how "far (he) has come", having built a seven-figure business empire. Adam, from Liverpool, believes schools should deliver more "real-life lessons", covering contracts, insurance and money management, to help tackle the UK's NEET crisis, with nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training. Adam told PA Real Life: "My friends would take the mick and call me Del Boy... they couldn't keep up with what I was doing from one week to the next. "If you've got a business opportunity and a business idea, and you believe in that idea, it's worth the risk – if it doesn't pan out, you're going to learn something from it." Adam grew up with his mother in Liverpool until Year 9, when she fell ill, leading him to briefly move in with his grandmother before she too became unwell. He subsequently moved in with his uncle — his father's twin — who worked as a motor trader and ran a fireplace business, introducing him to "a different way of earning a living" and offering him a "glimpse of life in a nicer area". He said: "I think that put me on the path I went down – I started selling confectionery on the school playground and I'd go to car auctions with my uncle and learn from him. I had a job cleaning a marble yard as well." During Year 9, his school report card singled out entrepreneurship as a subject he actively contributed to in class discussions, underlining his enthusiasm for it. In 2014, aged 15, Adam was flogging taps via Facebook and purchasing second-hand cars for his uncle to sell on his behalf. In December 2014, Adam's dad Carl, whom he used to see once a week, was jailed for the first time — remaining behind bars until Adam was 19. Years later, in July 2026, Adam's father was sentenced once more, this time to 15 years, for his involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering operation. Determined to "get ahead" and earn his own money, Adam decided to leave school at 15, without any GCSEs, to begin a gas engineering apprenticeship on £40 a day. By 17, he had accumulated roughly £20,000 through his apprenticeship, reselling cars and chimney sweeping, and was renting his own flat above a hairdresser's for £360 per month. "Some of my friends didn't start earning until they were 18 and I gained my own sort of independence," Adam explained. "I was missing out on certain experiences... but I wanted financial freedom." Adam chose to plough his savings into launching his first business, taxi leasing firm AJT Hire, at 17. Yet several insurers initially rejected him, finding it hard to believe that a teenager could run a business. He said: "They all thought I was a joke, I got laughed at and they didn't think it was a real phone call. I think the biggest lesson was resilience and patience." His ventures expanded through a string of calculated risks, including snapping up cut-price taxi fleets during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, he went on to operate a UK travel agency with his then-partner and relocated to the Netherlands in 2022. He moved to Dubai in 2023, where he established Relate, a consultancy helping expats establish and operate businesses in the UAE. Since then, he has also set up a real estate investment firm, and claims his business portfolio is now worth seven figures, with his consultancy business alone on course to turn over £2 million in 2026. Adam's "non-traditional route" into work has shaped his outlook on how young people ought to be equipped for adult life. An estimated 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) between April and June this year, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures. Writing in The Times, Prime Minister Andy Burnham argued that the state must provide a "safety net" but that there needed to be a "fundamental change in the way the Government and society support young people". Adam believes far greater emphasis should be placed on teaching children about entrepreneurship and the hands-on skills required to thrive in the workplace. "Entrepreneurship takes a certain type of character... you've got to be ready to endure the tough with the good and to jump first, then ask questions later," Adam added. Despite having left school early himself, Adam is keen to stress that he would not encourage other pupils to follow suit. Rather, he believes the UK education system must do considerably more to ready young people for the realities of working life. "There should be more practical lessons being taught in schools like contracts, insurance and employment rights," he explained. "Kids should be learning about how to manage their money." Looking to the future, Adam revealed that over the next five years, he would like to "step back" from his businesses, focus on "living life more" and potentially start a family. He said: "In my day-to-day life, I'm just happy. I'm grateful for where I am, and I'll be honest, if you told me 15 years ago this is where I'd be, I wouldn't have believed you." A spokesperson from the Department of Education said: "Every young person should be able to see a route to success, whatever their talents, ambitions or background. That's why we are taking swift action to reduce the unacceptably high number of young people who are not earning or learning. "We're creating high-quality technical and vocational education options to sit alongside academic skills, and we've launched a new National Mission on Work Experience to help boost opportunities for young people outside the classroom. We'll work with local authorities, schools and employers to ensure more young people leave education with the skills, confidence and opportunities they need to thrive in today's economy and the careers of the future."