The Day I Met My Hero and Felt Like a Fraud

The email invitation seemed too good to be true: Edinburgh Tech Leaders Breakfast - Guest Speaker: Sir Tom Hunter. Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish entrepreneur whod built a retail empire and become one of Scotlands most successful businesspeople, was speaking at a small networking event just fifteen minutes from my university. The invitation had come through Dr. Henderson, who thought I might benefit from hearing from someone whod actually built something significant.

I almost didnt go. What business did a twenty-year-old student with a small PDF tool have at an event with tech leaders? But curiosity won over insecurity, and I found myself walking into the elegant conference room at the Scotsman Hotel on a crisp Tuesday morning in February.

The room was filled with about thirty people, most of them significantly older than me and clearly more established in their careers. I recognised several faces from Edinburghs tech scene CEOs of successful startups, venture capitalists, and senior executives from major companies. I felt immediately out of place, like a child whod wandered into an adult conversation.

Sir Tom Hunter took the stage with the confidence of someone whod addressed thousands of audiences over decades of business success. He spoke about his journey from selling trainers from the back of a van to building a multi-million-pound retail empire, then transitioning into philanthropy and investment.

His stories were captivating and inspiring, but they also made me feel increasingly small. Here was someone whod employed thousands of people, created genuine wealth, and made a measurable impact on Scotlands economy. Meanwhile, I was running a simple website that helped people compress PDF files.

During the Q&A session, Sir Tom fielded questions about scaling businesses, managing large teams, and navigating complex financial structures. The other attendees asked sophisticated questions about market dynamics, regulatory challenges, and international expansion strategies. I sat quietly, feeling like I had nothing valuable to contribute to the conversation.

Then, during the networking break, something unexpected happened. Sir Tom approached me directly, having noticed that I was the youngest person in the room by at least a decade.

You look like youre either very young or very successful, he said with a warm smile. Im guessing its the former. What brings you here?

I felt my face flush as I explained that I was a university student whod built a small online business. I mentioned SnackPDF briefly, expecting him to politely nod and move on to more interesting conversations with more established entrepreneurs.

Instead, his eyes lit up with genuine interest. Tell me more about this PDF tool. What problem does it solve, and how did you identify the opportunity?

For the next ten minutes, I found myself explaining SnackPDFs development to one of Scotlands most successful entrepreneurs. I described the frustration with existing tools that had motivated me to build something better, the technical challenges Id overcome, and the gradual growth in users and revenue.

Sir Tom listened intently, asking thoughtful questions about customer acquisition, pricing strategy, and technical scalability. His questions were more insightful than many Id received from supposed business experts, and his genuine interest in the details was both flattering and intimidating.

How much revenue are you generating? he asked.

About £800 per month, I replied, immediately feeling embarrassed by how small that number sounded in the context of his business empire.

But his response surprised me: Thats excellent for a student project. Youre solving a real problem, generating sustainable revenue, and learning valuable lessons about business development. Most importantly, youre doing it while still in university, which gives you incredible freedom to experiment and take risks.

He paused, then added something that completely changed my perspective: You know, some of my most successful investments have been in businesses that started exactly like yours young founders solving simple problems that everyone else overlooked. The fact that youre generating revenue from real customers means youre already ahead of 90% of the startups I see.

I was stunned. Here was someone whose business success Id admired from afar, telling me that what Id built was actually impressive rather than trivial. The validation from someone of his stature was overwhelming and completely unexpected.

The key, he continued, is not to compare yourself to where I am now, but to where I was when I started. I was selling trainers from a van, making mistakes, learning as I went. Youre doing the same thing, just in a different industry with different tools. The principles are identical.

Our conversation was interrupted by other attendees wanting to speak with Sir Tom, but he handed me his business card and said, Keep building, keep learning, and dont let anyone tell you that small beginnings cant lead to big outcomes. Id love to hear how SnackPDF develops over the next year.

I left that breakfast feeling completely transformed. The person Id expected to make me feel inadequate had instead provided the most meaningful validation and encouragement Id received since starting SnackPDF. His perspective had reframed my entire understanding of what I was building and where it might lead.

The experience taught me about the danger of comparing your beginning to someone elses middle or end. Sir Toms current success was the result of decades of work, learning, and growth. Comparing my student project to his established empire was like comparing a seedling to a mature oak tree theyre at completely different stages of development.

More importantly, the conversation taught me that successful entrepreneurs often recognise and appreciate the early stages of business development in ways that others might not. Sir Tom understood the significance of generating revenue from real customers, building sustainable systems, and learning through direct experience because hed been through those stages himself.

The breakfast also highlighted the importance of showing up to opportunities even when you feel unqualified or out of place. Id almost skipped the event because I felt like I didnt belong, but attending had led to one of the most valuable conversations of my entrepreneurial journey.

Over the following months, I occasionally updated Sir Tom on SnackPDFs progress, and he always responded with encouragement and practical advice. His continued interest in my small business reinforced the lesson that success isnt just about scale its about solving real problems for real people and building something sustainable.

The experience also changed how I viewed my own role in Edinburghs entrepreneurial community. Instead of seeing myself as an outsider looking in, I began to understand that I was part of a continuum of people building businesses at different stages and scales. My contribution might be smaller than others, but it was still legitimate and valuable.

Looking back, that breakfast was a pivotal moment in my development as an entrepreneur. Meeting someone whose success Id admired and receiving his validation and encouragement gave me confidence to continue building SnackPDF with greater ambition and less self-doubt.

The lesson from that day continues to influence how I approach both business challenges and personal development. Instead of being intimidated by other peoples success, I try to learn from their experience while focusing on my own journey and progress.

SnackPDF at https://www.snackpdf.com has continued to grow since that breakfast, and I often think about Sir Toms advice when facing difficult decisions or moments of doubt. Sometimes the most valuable thing a successful person can do is remind someone just starting out that everyone begins somewhere, and that small beginnings can lead to significant outcomes.

That day taught me that heroes arent meant to make you feel small theyre meant to show you whats possible when you keep building, keep learning, and keep believing in the value of what youre creating.

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Try SnackPDF today: https://www.snackpdf.com

Im Calum Kerr, a Computer Science student at Edinburgh Napier University building SnackPDF and RevisePDF. Follow my journey!