A dad who left school at 16 with only a few GCSEs told how he started a multimillion pound company after sending a letter to the CEO of Tesco.
As a teenager growing up in Aigburth, Mike Welch said he wasn't particularly academic and struggled to engage with school. After getting his first job as a tyre fitter in Birkenhead at the age of 16, Mike was inspired to set up his own business from his parent's home - but little did he know it would be a decision that would shape the next 27 years of his career.
The soon to be dad-of-three has now swapped Liverpool for Miami and is the CEO of Tirebuyer.com - one of America's biggest online tyre retailers with an estimated turnover of more than $100m. Mike, who was adopted as a baby, told the ECHO how it all started back in the early days of the internet when he sent a letter to the CEO of Tesco, Liverpool-born Sir Terry Leahy asking if he had the time for a cup of tea and a chat.
