Young entrepreneur wants to inspire others

Hassan Iqbal, entrepreneur with three businesses already under his belt

Hassan Iqbal, 16, from Rochdale is a young entrepreneur with three businesses to his name.

Hassan, whose businesses all involve computers and I.T. started fixing and repairing computers at age eight for family and friends and by age 13, he had set up his first computer repair company. Now he is the owner of Haz-Corp, Haz-Tech and Haz-Server as well as running a social network site dedicated for children aged nine plus.

Hassan said: “I’ve become addicted to being my own boss.”

Hassan is currently focusing his attention on Haz-Server, his web hosting company, which aims to provide businesses with a service for all of their needs.

“I want to be able to offer businesses a place that they can come to for everything. Most of the time companies have to go to different places for different aspects of their business so I want to be able to give them somewhere they can get everything from leaflets, to web design to marketing,” added Hassan.

Hassan recently completed his GCSEs at Oulder Hill Community School and is now attending the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy in Oldham.

Hassan said: “I wasn’t sure at first about doing a BTECH but it is brilliant. It is all focused on business management and finance and I think it will look good on my CV and will help me look employable.”

The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy was set up in 2009 by entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Peter Jones CBE. The academy aims to encourage more entrepreneurial activity in the UK based on the philosophy of learning by doing.

“I really think it is the time of the entrepreneur,” said Hassan.

Hassan has also set up a foundation to help people who think negatively about their lives. The Hassan Iqbal Foundation aims to help young people find a place in business. Hassan said: “I had no financial support for three years and really felt like giving up but I wanted to show people that if you are determined and you work hard then you can do things.”

Hassan wants to encourage young people who think that they aren’t smart enough to do things like he has done. He said: “I’m not smart. I was getting Es, Ds and Cs at school but because I am doing this people think I’m smart. I’m not, I’m just determined to do this and other people can do it too.”

Hassan now plans to finish his time at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and then continue with his business ventures to see how they progress and develop.