Owen Hunnam and Charlie de Rusett, the school buddies turned entrepreneurial tag team, have never been more excited about work than with their latest company.

Both yet to turn 30, the pair have already had a career of which many business people would be proud.

They met as pupils at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys and first came to the public’s attention after Owen was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2013
KEiBAs for their lifestyle magazine business Vine Publishing in Sevenoaks.

It grew to employ 21 people within 18 months, but after finding more revenue was coming from other streams like pay-per-click, later that year they launched Yellowball, a creative agency based in nearby Eynsford.

Last year they sold their majority stake in the business to concentrate on their new venture, Idea Drop, although they remain shareholders and work from a back office at the Yellowball headquarters.

Owen said: “With Yellowball, we built a relatively decent-sized SME and wanted to create a
culture of what we called ‘intrapreneurship’, where people within our own business could have the freedom to make their own decisions and put projects into action.

“We had problems collating ideas from people around us, so we looked for an off-the-shelf system on Google and found there was some stuff in the US, but it was hard to understand the pricing model and the user interface was clunky.

“So we decided to build a quick prototype ourselves.”

Owen and Charlie secured £300,000 of seed capital and they built the product in March last year.

“We rolled it out to our team as a simple tool to catch ideas and two weeks later we had 54 ideas, thanks to a cross-cultivation of different people’s thoughts,” said Owen.

“We were able to implement some ideas very quickly, which had a positive impact on the profitability of our business.
“Then we realised the concept of catching the best ideas from people around you is a problem for businesses of all sizes and sectors.”

Today, the company has 5,000 users and counts Fortune 500 car-seating and electricals manufacturer Lear Corporation
as one of its biggest customers.

The pair are into their next round of fundraising and are hoping to raise about £1 million this summer to develop the product and build Android and iPhone apps.

“We are in conversations with large banks and organisations,” said Owen. “The concept of how you capture ideas has always been done in very tried and tested ways, like suggestion boxes and emails.

“This is an effective digital solution to all that. Using technology makes the innovation process flatter, so more people are involved – it’s quicker and easier to share ideas and they are actioned quicker.”

Were you always destined to be entrepreneurs?

Owen: “I always had a strong feeling I would run my own business. I didn’t have it mapped out but I always had a strong interest in technology. I always knew I wanted to run a tech business but I was waiting for the right concept. Idea Drop was born out of a genuine business problem at Yellowball.”

What is it like to work with your friend?

Charlie: “Running businesses with Owen has kind of become a way of life for me – we’ve been in business together since we met in secondary school in Tunbridge Wells nearly 18 years ago, selling everything from mobile discos to sweets in the playground.”

Why are you so excited about your latest business venture?

Charlie: “Idea Drop is undoubtedly our most exciting venture yet because we’re setting about solving a huge problem that transcends across organisations of all sizes, sectors and locations. It’s our first shot at building a global technology business and our aim is to become thought leaders on innovation.”

What tips would you give to young entrepreneurs?

Owen: “Surround yourself with people who are brighter, sharper and more knowledgeable than you. They’ll keep you on your toes and help you to drive forward to realise your aims and dreams quicker. And have fun – it should be an adventure. Try not to take yourself or your business too seriously. This is your life, so have fun and try to see the best in every experience and interaction.”

What mistakes do young entrepreneurs typically make?

Owen: “Don’t be greedy. It’s tempting to want to hang onto as much equity as possible, but sharing the profits with others means you’re all aligned to build a great business faster and share in something bigger. Also, see suppliers as partners. In the early days, I made the mistake of sometimes trying to squeeze suppliers too much. Treat them as partners and it will pay dividends.”

CV - Owen Hunnam

Born: 18/10/86 in Sevenoaks

Lives: Tonbridge

School: Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys

Marital status: Lives with girlfriend

First job: Kitchen porter at the Chequers Inn in Heaverham

First wage: £5 an hour

Salary now: “Not enough for the work I do”

Car: Range Rover

Book: “My family always tease me for never finishing books.”

Film: Captain Phillips

Music: The Barr Brothers, Wintersleep, The xx, Saint Raymond, Alabama Shakes

Gadget: Apple Watch

Last holiday: The Alps

Charity: Hospice in the Weald and Sport Relief

Typical day

Owen Hunnam usually gets to the office at about 7.30am and then takes his dog for a walk.

When he gets back, he looks at emails and checks in with the development teams from 8.30am to 10.30am.

Once he has carried out some product reviews he spends the rest of the morning brainstorming development ideas.

In the afternoon, he may be carrying out demonstrations to clients or having a Skype meeting with investors.

He tries to finish work by 7pm. In his spare time he does a lot of walking with his labrador Lola, goes to the gym and visits art galleries in London.