Yousif Ahmed named top entrepreneur for Tots United initiative

Mr Ahmed, who co-founded Renfrewshire-based Tots United in May 2022 while maintaining his legal consultancy practice, was selected from 179 businesses from across the UK.

Tots United is a children’s sports provider based in Renfrewshire, delivering fun, engaging and inclusive football and gymnastics programmes specially designed for children from 18 months up to eight years old.

The award recognises his strategic approach to building a business that now serves 1,000 children weekly across 20+ Scottish locations – achieving 50x growth in under four years.

Mr Ahmed’s legal background proved instrumental in Tots United’s rapid expansion. He personally managed trademark applications, securing protection in the UK, USA and EU. He negotiated and drafted a formal memorandum of understanding with City of Glasgow College, creating an institutional partnership typically reserved for much larger organisations.

His approach to franchise model design – applying legal frameworks to protect both brand integrity and franchisee interests – resulted in a successful launch with the first franchisee now operating sold-out sessions across multiple territories, and a model that is growing and expanding.

While maintaining his legal consultancy work, Mr Ahmed represented Scotland on international trade missions to the US, Netherlands and Singapore in 2025. He secured delivery of Tots United’s first overseas sessions in Singapore and established relationships with leading international schools.

Mr Ahmed said: “I’m honoured to receive this recognition. When we created Tots United in 2022, we wanted to build something meaningful – sport that genuinely serves families and develops children holistically.

“My legal background taught me to think strategically about intellectual property, partnerships and sustainable growth. Those skills proved invaluable – from securing trademarks in the UK, EU and USA, to negotiating contracts and building relationships with partners, to designing a franchise model that protects quality while enabling expansion.

“But what I’m most proud of is that we’ve grown from one class in Renfrewshire to serving 1,000 children weekly while staying true to our values. We’ve taken Scottish entrepreneurship from local communities to international markets.”