Sam Bazini left school at 16, started working in a cosmetics warehouse and made money on the side selling make-up in street markets.
Eoin Macleod moved into the industry even earlier in life, taking on a Saturday job selling cosmetics and perfume at the age of 14.
That was in the 1970s. Today, the pair are joint chief executives of Warpaint, valued on the stock market at more than £170 million.
As owners of 55 per cent of the fast-growing beauty business, Bazini and Macleod are strongly incentivised to take Warpaint from strength to strength.
The shares are 222½p and should move higher over the next few years.
Having bumped into one another on the cosmetics circuit for years, Bazini and Macleod went into business together in 1992, initially selling surplus stock by big brands such as Revlon and Max Factor.
Ten years later, they started their own, W7, named after the London postcode where they were based.
The company, now based in Iver, Buckinghamshire, has grown steadily.
It has never taken on debt, has remained consistently profitable and developed a reputation for producing high quality cosmetics at far lower cost than mainstream international brands.
W7 products are sold primarily in discount chains, such as B&M, Savers and Peacocks.
But there is a flourishing e-commerce site too and Warpaint makes ample use of social media, engaging well known figures such as Love Island starlet Olivia Buckland to spread the word online about their cosmetics.
