GCSE student’s cooling towel company reaches £750,000 in annual revenue
Harrison Nott, 16, left plans for college behind to focus on CoolTowel, a business he began in his bedroom in 2023. The company sells cooling towels activated with water and movement, and Nott says it has reached £750,000 in revenue this year, showing how a young entrepreneur has built a fast-growing business while completing his GCSEs.
Nott won £150,000 at the Alibaba CoCreate Pitch Event after competing against 15,000 entrants, and former England footballer Rio Ferdinand later became an investor and head of partnerships. CoolTowel sold out its stock in two days and recorded £100,000 in revenue in one night; Nott says a week’s sales later reached £600,000. He also describes setbacks, including TikTok Shop order cancellations and scammers using his image in adverts.
- Harrison Nott says his towel business has generated £750,000 in revenue this year.
- Rio Ferdinand invested after Nott won a £150,000 pitch competition prize.
- The 16-year-old chose to skip college and run CoolTowel full-time.
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Harrison Nott is a 16-year-old who founded CoolTowel, a company selling cooling towels activated by water and movement. He started the business from his bedroom in 2023 and chose to focus on it full-time rather than attend college, completing his GCSEs whilst building the company.
CoolTowel has attracted significant investment and endorsements. Nott won £150,000 at the Alibaba CoCreate Pitch Event after competing against 15,000 other entrants, and former England footballer Rio Ferdinand subsequently became an investor and head of partnerships. The business has experienced rapid growth and high demand for its product.
The company's trajectory is notable because it shows how a young person with a simple product idea can build a substantial business whilst still in education. At the same time, the business's rapid expansion has brought practical challenges, including cancellations on some platforms and scammers misusing his image in advertisements.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
At 16, Harrison Nott has demonstrated entrepreneurial capability that most university graduates never achieve, generating £750,000 in genuine revenue and securing investment from established figures. Traditional education represents a five-year opportunity cost during which he could further develop his business, build networks, and compound early success. Young people with proven commercial talent arguably gain more from hands-on experience, real-world problem-solving, and financial independence than from a conventional path that may not suit their strengths.
The case against
Abandoning college at 16 based on early business success, however impressive, represents substantial long-term risk. Business ventures are inherently volatile, most fail, and entrepreneurial success at this stage is exceptionally rare—leaving him without fallback options should his company falter. Educational qualifications provide security, adaptability, and broader opportunities across multiple fields, whilst formal learning develops intellectual tools and networks that typically enhance rather than hinder long-term success and resilience.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Teenager, 16, who ditched college to start his own business reveals how he’s now making £750,000 a year selling TOWELS”.