Young, Welsh and Pretty Minted

There are 12,500 millionaires in Wales, and a growing number of them are under 30. In this series, we hang out with rich young Welsh entrepreneurs making serious money out of everything from dog biscuits and Instagram to fashion design and trading on the foreign exchange markets. What they all have in common is that they know how to enjoy the spoils of their hard-earned fortunes: fast cars and luxury holidays come with the territory. In this episode, we fly to France with Swansea fashion designer Alex Pike as he lives the dream of getting his own catwalk at Cannes Film and Fashion Week. We get the inside track from forex trader Ash – what is it like to be 19 years old and earning up to £8,000 a day? And we catch up with two of series one’s biggest characters: Toni Leigh Hall who has made a mint selling rude cards online, and YouTube vlogger Gonth whose 1.7 million subscribers earn him a high six-figure deal in sponsorship money.

Everyone thinks that having more money will improve their quality of life. But does it? It’s not all Rolex and roses when your minted. Life as a young mogul can be lonely and stressful, and some of our characters reveal the downside of making masses of money. Sisters Hannah and Sophie have built an £8 million make-up empire in just four years. Toni Leigh Hall, MD of mucky merchandise makers Banter Cards, confesses that life as an entrepreneur isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And Gonth makes a new friend to share his passion for fast cars – and it’s a face familiar to Pretty Minted viewer. Meanwhile, in Llanelli, 17 year old Cameron is making a mint out of creepy crawlies.

In a world of online influencers, You-Tubers and Etsy entrepreneurs, there are still young tycoons making a mint in more traditional industries. In this episode we meet 20 year old Callum Griffiths. He’s been running his own business since he was 13. He started by breeding chickens on his parents’ small-holding, moved into chicken feed, and is now one of Europe’s up and coming suppliers of dog biscuits. We also meet Ibby Tarafdar, a young designer who spends half of his time jet-setting to meet his famous American clients, and the other half working as a barista in Starbucks. Meanwhile we catch up with another of series one’s stars – Instagram star Erin Budina. She’s branching out with a You Tube channel that challenges her to do everyday jobs – but will working in recycling depot prove a step too far for Erin?

Gin is Britain’s fastest growing tipple. Last year we spent £2.3 billion on it. Cousins Jacques and Ashley are the self-confessed Del-Boy and Rodney of the gin world. They opened their first gin bar one year ago with just £500 between them. Now they’re hoping to open half a dozen more. Meanwhile, Ibby gets to present his designs to pro golfer Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston; and risqué card boss Toni Leigh Hall has some life changing news.

What does it take to become a successful young entrepreneur? On the face of it, Dan Huxtable had everything going against him: profoundly dyslexic he struggled through school; on top of which he was badly bullied. But through talent and sheer determination Dan is now a kick-ass kick boxer, with three world titles to his name. On top of that he’s also a kick ass entrepreneur who has designed and grown his own fight wear brand. Now, he’s about to open the biggest kick boxing gym in Wales. All of this, and he’s still only 22 years old. 21 year old Twitch streamer Rage Darling has a following of thousands. They pay to watch her play video games online. Rage also has a plum job with a major computer gaming manufacturer. They pay her to act as an advisor, interacting between them and the UK’s army of gamers. Which means Rage gets to spend half of her working day being payed to play, and also gets to host her own Ragecon conventions all over the country. In West Wales 19 year old Forex Trader Ash has persuaded You Tube star Gonth to join him in a new business venture. Utilising Ash’s knowledge and Gonth’s 1.7 million fans, they’re launching a subscription-only webinar offering advice on how to dabble in the forex market.

We are living in the age of the first online superstars, people under-30 becoming mega rich through You Tube, Instagram and eGaming. But what happens when these people tip into their thirties and forties? Will they still be vlogging fashion tips and playing Fortnite for money? Football vlogger Gonth has almost 2 million subscribers. For the past five years he’s been pulling in a large six-figure income. But he’s just turned 26 and he’s starting to wonder how long he’s got left in the online game. Gonth’s wondering if he needs to change career tracks so in this episode he signs himself up onto a tv presenter course. But can he make it as the next Reggie Yates? 22 year old Rory has moved into the family business: dealing cars. But whilst his Dad own a second hand car lot, Rory’s making his mint dealing in high-end prestige cars online. Finally, 29 year old Mima has just given up her job as a graphic designer to launch her own range of bespoke wedding fashion wear. Can she make her mark on the £10 billion annual wedding industry?