A hairdresser from Barking has been short listed for a London-wide entrepreneurial award after almost giving up on his career.

Chris Adams, who runs mobile hairdressing salon Baseline, is one of four budding entrepreneurs competing for the The Small Business Consultancy’s Start up Business of the Year 2012.

He was among 50 people from eight London boroughs who took part in an initiative called E=MC2, which saw participants start up new small businesses.

Chris, 18, who became estranged from his family and lives in supported accommodation, dropped out of his A-levels at the age of 16 and picked up a job in a salon.

He left the post to study hairdressing and was doing well but lacked motivation and quit the course a month before it finished.

The teenager says it was E=MC2 programme that gave him the drive to succeed.

Speaking about the competition he said: “Reaching the final for me is a great achievement. Not only have I accomplished something for myself, but I feel that I can inspire other young people to follow their entrepreneurial idea and turn that dream into reality.”

The winner will be announced at a ceremony held on Wednesday.