1979
Born in Withington, Manchester, UK.
Oliver Cookson is a British entrepreneur who established the sports nutrition business Myprotein®.
Growing up in Manchester, Cookson left school aged 16 with just one GCSE. Two decades later, he has been named the UK’s number one self-made millionaire under 40 with a net worth of £306m*.
In 2004, Cookson used a £500 overdraft to bootstrap a sports nutrition idea, which would in turn create the trailblazing, pioneering, and leading brand in sports nutrition; Myprotein.
Myprotein went on to become the number one sports nutrition brand in Europe, in just seven years, whilst maintaining 100% equity, in combined cash and shares deal with ‘The Hut Group’ which earnt him a nine-digit exit.
Oliver is now one of the UK’s most inspiring and well-respected entrepreneurs.
*Sunday Times Rich List 2019
Learn more about OliverAn inspiring, rags-to-riches guide to achieving success in life and business by the founder of Myprotein.
How did a working-class 23-year-old, who left school with almost no qualifications, launch a business with just a £500 overdraft and turn it into more than £350 million? In this inspiring book, Oliver Cookson shares how he was able to build Europe’s number one online brand using nothing more than his own limited resources and the right mindset, all before he turned 30. Self-sufficient and self-taught, Oliver always had an eye for opportunities and pursued them obsessively.
His breakthrough came when he combined his passion for health and fitness with his skills as a web developer. By embracing a disruptive, agile approach to business, offering unparalleled choice, and identifying trends ahead of the competition, Oliver was able to grow Myprotein rapidly into a top international, award-winning brand.
In Bootstrap Your Life, Oliver doesn’t just share his journey but uses simple language to break down every aspect of his thinking, providing a thorough step-by-step guide on how to think like an entrepreneur. His approach to marketing, innovation, strategy, leadership, and other key elements are explained in great detail using memorable analogies that anyone can relate to.
Oliver explains how bootstrapping his life catapulted him from an ordinary life in the suburbs of Greater Manchester to being included in the Sunday Times Rich List with a personal net worth of over a third of a billion pounds. His message is clear: bootstrap your life!
The five-star rated book is available now at the link below:
Cookson flips the traditional long-form podcast in this series of around fifteen-minute episodes, covering the tools and habits you need to build a successful business.
Touching on entrepreneurship, self-esteem, business acumen, mindset, and investment, this podcast is a must for anyone wanting to lead from the front.
Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
