Escaping Lockdown Episode 5: Ben Lenoard

Escaping Lockdown with Professor J. Ignacio Canales

In the fifth episode of Escaping Lockdown, Professor J. Ignacio Canales interviews ABDN alumni and business entrepreneur, Ben Leonard.

Ben founded his own brand of fitness equipment/e-commerce business - Beast Gear from 2016 and recently sold the successful venture at the end of last year

He says lockdown has come at an interesting time of transition as he leaves the day to day responsibilities of owning and running a business to setting up his own e-commerce consultancy.

Although an incredibly difficult time for many, Ben recognises the opportunities lockdown has provided, causing us to learn about life and reflect. With many taking the time to learn new skills, start a new business and acquire more knowledge.

Ben continues and says lockdown has allowed people to slow down their pace of life and hopes once we return to some form of normality these new attitudes towards working will stay to a certain extent. Ben wants to take things from lockdown he has learned and put them towards his new business such as a better work-life balance.

Beast Gear sold on their own site and Amazon across Europe, the Middle East and Australia with a 7-figure income. With his new business, Ben is looking to help people forced into e-commerce from traditional face to face business that needed to go online due to changing customers’ needs and the pandemic as one example.

Within a week of lockdown, Ben was offering free consulting calls for those with new business ventures or struggling during the pandemic, this has also helped him develop his own consultancy skills.