Growing up today means moving in a world where ideas run as fast as videos on social media, and where a room can become an office, laboratory and starting point for something much bigger. The story of Harrison Nottwho at sixteen has already learned to stay within the rhythm of changing things, without standing still and watching them.
Harrison lives in Essex and has a clear passion for sport, one that makes you feel every limit of your body, especially when the heat becomes a constant obstacle. Right there the idea takes shape Cooltowela towel designed to stay fresh for up to two hours, capable of transforming a simple gesture into an immediate response to discomfort.
The project was born in 2023, inside his bedroom, without complex structures and without large means, with that spontaneity that often accompanies the most concrete ideas. Harrison observes, tests, modifies, until he arrives at a product built with three layers of polyesterdesigned to retain humidity and activate a refreshing effect that is obtained with a quick gesture: wet, wring out, shake.
Within a short time that idea also took shape outside that room. The orders begin to arrive, first a few, then more and more, until they exceed 30,000 shipments. Turnover grows and reaches £100,000 in a yearwhile he continues to divide his days between school and work, with a naturalness that tells much more than any strategy.
From visibility on tiktok to the international stage
The decisive push came when Harrison took Cooltowel to social media, choosing TikTok as a space for storytelling before even selling. The videos show the product in action, without artificial constructions, with that immediacy that makes everything closer and more understandable. Alongside the content, he also opens an online store on Shopify, creating a balance between storytelling and sales.
During the summer, a day arrives that marks an important transition: £15,000 collected in 24 hours. From that moment the growth accelerated, until it attracted the attention of an international event organized by Alibaba in London, the CoCreate Pitch.
They also participate in the selection 15,000 young entrepreneurs from all over the worlda number that conveys the idea of competition well. Harrison enters the thirty finalists and takes the stage with the same clarity he had used in his videos. It tells the product, it tells the journey, above all it tells the direction.
The jury listens to him and recognizes something concrete. Among the judges there is also Rio Ferdinandwho is so impressed that he exchanges phone numbers with him. At the end of the competition, while other participants receive smaller investments, Harrison wins the main prize: $200,000.
Fast growth that comes from daily responsibilities
Running a company at sixteen requires a balance that can’t be learned from books. Harrison builds it day by day, adapting his life to something that continues to expand. The school offers him a flexible schedule, allowing him to pursue both paths without having to abandon one.
The change can also be felt in the way he talks about himself. It speaks of rapid growth, of decisions made quickly, of a responsibility that expands together with the project. In this journey there is also the presence of his father, an entrepreneur, who gave him a concrete way of looking at work and mistakes.
Harrison knows failure well, because he started early. At eight years old he was reselling items on eBay, then other attempts came along, some gone badly, others left half-finished. Each experience has built a piece of competence, without shortcuts. Within this growth there remains a space dedicated to others, which Harrison cultivates through the donation of products to organizations that support people with health problems. The gesture enters the project without weighing it down, as a natural part of the journey.
The basic idea remains that of building a solid, recognizable brand, capable of creating trust over time. At the same time, Harrison looks ahead and imagines sharing what he has learned, helping other kids take their first steps in the world of entrepreneurship. He already plans to continue his studies in Business, with the intention of keeping theory and practice together, without separating them.
