Northern Business Showcase Week 6

Hello All,

Firstly, this has been sent later than usual as I am currently enjoying a long weekend in Chamonix getting a bit of the last snow of the season.

Last week on International Women's Day - I spoke with the founder of?Six Stories. They are redefining the bridal industry from little old Altrincham and on track for ￡20m of sales this year.?

That is crazy. What an amazing story - and in my opinion couldn't have happened to two better people.

They have?driven that success from capitalizing on trends and developing a huge social media following. A textbook play for any new brand looking to launch.

This week, we are looking at?So Squared?- who connect brands with influencers.

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Founders: Sam Royle & Greg Donnelly Based: Manchester? Mission: Professionalising the influencer and content marketing space through scalable technology

The company: SoSquared is an influencer marketing platform and content marketplace providing?scalable infrastructure?for businesses and agencies to execute?more successful collaborations, whilst also giving the tools to creators to accelerate?their careers. Core features include an advanced identification system, end-to-end CRM, direct messaging, an integrated wallet system and automated report writing.?

SoSquared is an official partner of both TikTok & Meta, and currently works with predominantly media agencies allowing them to offer additional services to their clients as well as larger enterprise businesses

They have built a community of over 2,000 UK-based creators and last year we completed over 3,000 collaborations.

Forecast: 2023 Revenue: ￡210K 2024 Expected Revenue: ￡2m?

Sam and Greg are tackling a problem which I experienced in my last business at Social Chain. The influencer marketing industry has developed significantly in the last few years and businesses like Six Stories have benefited from the use of influencers and social platforms.?

?A lot of people think that influencers are just for B2c businesses but latest reports?75% of B2b are now using influencers.

This is crazy, but I think its?one of the best ways for businesses to significantly?drive leads, opportunities and ultimately revenue to any business.

While I sign off ahead of another busy weekend, I'd just like to say - I seriously hope Liverpool beat Man Utd this weekend - if there's any Utd fans on this thread.?

I hope you have a good weekend, but not a great one.

All the best

Dominic