Jordan Kensington

Jordan Kensington is CEO of the Invincible Media Group as well as founder of the Urban Music Awards and promoter of British Music Week. He explains why a strong sense of self belief is the key to turning dreams into reality.

What were your motivations behind starting up Invincible?

In terms of the project itself, my dream was to be the first media company with a free magazine of its genre with a circulation of over 65,000, TV station and radio station targeting a niche multi-cultural market.

Having worked in the industry for several years as an artist, I saw how difficult it was for young people to break into the media industry and I decided to start up a company that provided those opportunities.

Seven years ago when I started out there were no online magazines or outlets so it was much harder for young people to get into the media, without knowing the right people.

I wanted to give them an opportunity, an outlet to start their career. Since we set up Invincible several of the journalists involved have gone on to write for national papers such as the Times and the Metro so it was a great stepping stone for them.

What did your parents think when you decided to start up your own business?

I started out in the industry as an artist myself, and my Mum wasn't that happy and wanted me to take a traditional career. I went to university to study law and after I got my law degree my Mum wanted me to go on and do a Masters.

But I knew that wasn't for me so I decided to start up the company. It was a big risk I was undertaking – I had to sell my house to raise the capital, and I guess most parents would be worried about that. But she is obviously really proud of me now, and pleased that I decided to follow my dreams.

It's all about self-belief; you are your own person and you always know if you are capable of doing something.

How easy or hard was your route to success?

It was extremely hard; especially being young and from an ethnic minority and having to compete with people who had been in the business for a very long time.

But people underestimate your strength of mind. Losing my Dad made me realise that life is too short and if you believe in something so much you should go for it. My aim was to kick those doors down – if I had a rejection in any situation I would just try again.

Rejection just spurs me on and makes me want to try again. Anyone who has started up a business is likely to have failed at least once. No entrepreneur will always be 'up', all successful businesses will have their ups and downs.

Did you find your age a barrier?

I made it a policy not to tell people how old I am as you then run the risk for being discriminated against for being young. For me, age is nothing but a number – someone as young as twenty may be far more intelligent and business savvy than another person twice that age.

I always make sure that people judge me on what the company can offer them, and what benefits my business can provide, rather than looking at me as the individual. It's best to find a way to use youth to your advantage, rather than let it hinder you.

Are there any particular qualities you think a person needs in order to start up their own business?

I think the only quality you need is self-belief. I wasn't a trained business person; I'd never worked in a business in my life. I took my inspiration from Richard Branson – he decides what he wants to do and goes for it.

You don't need to have gone to university or been from a particular background, you just need self-belief. If you can believe in your project 100%, then you be able to make other prospective clients believe in you. Your idea is your baby; you need to invest your whole heart in it.

What piece of advice would you give to other young people who want to make their ideas happen?

My advice would be just to go for it – life is too short.

If you have an idea to start up your own business, don't just sit around waiting for it to happen. It's much easier to start up a business now than it was seven years ago; you can start online fairly cheaply and sell your products or services there before taking them to the high street.

I think there are two types of people in the world – do-ers and dreamers. The do-ers think of something and act now, which is what you have to do if you want to succeed.

What are your goals for the future?

Well, we've just launched the first UK official International download chart show (the first TV chart show to count the international download charts). It can be seen on Sky Channel 368 each and every Friday at 8pm.

Going forward, I have already launched Invincible TV in Jamaica and Barabados. My goal is to launch Invincible TV in most of the other Caribbean islands – that's my main focus. Once we've achieved that, my work is done!