It's a company that has revolutionised the publishing industry and has grown its income by around 7000% in the first year - and it just happens to be based in the North East...
From Miami to Texas, from North Carolina to Pittsburgh, from Middlesbrough to Nottingham – these might be far flung corners of the world, but they all have something in common.
And what links them is a revolutionary print and publishing company that is taking the content produced by top creators from both sides of the pond and turns it into a lucrative business model.
Found’s website might be found.us but the home of this fast-growing business is in fact at North East BIC in Sunderland.
The Wearside base is also home to one of the UK’s leading online print companies, WTTB, which is a success story in its own right and is a sister company to Found.
Heading up both of these organisations is Louise Stephenson, who has years of experience in the print industry and so is perfectly placed to drive Found.
The company was initially set up by technology giants HP, who came up with the concept of taking online content posted by top creators and turning this into books.
Although the main bulk of Found’s creators are mainly home cooks who share their recipes, this is growing to take on board those who post on lifestyle, health and wellbeing.
The concept is simply – but brilliant. Currently Found is working with around 150 creators in both the UK and USA whose only commitment is to promote their books via their channels.
Because the books are produced by print on demand there’s little outlay – so no warehouses full of books gathering dust – and Found does all the work in terms of design and print.
“We really are revolutionising the print industry,” said Louise.
“If someone normally wants to publish a book they have to get an agent, find a publisher and that can take a year or more.
“We can take a book from concept to creation in around 60 days, which means the process is so much quicker.
“We have creators who are selling thousands of books and have changed their lives around because of Found and are now able to earn their living through their creativity.”
In fact the success of some of the creators – particularly in the USA – means they’ve given up their day jobs to concentrate on becoming a full time influencer.
“The creative social media economy allows individuals to find highly connected audiences,” said Louise.
“Our model allows the creator to generate meaningful income from published products like never before.”
Many of the creators took to social media during lockdown, simply using the extra time they had when being stuck at home to share their recipes – mainly family favourites which strike a chord with their audience.
“What makes these books different is their followers are invested in their lives,” said Louise.
“It is a very special relationship and we often see people who may have never bought a cookery book in their life, buying one from their favourite creator.
“Many of the creators didn’t even consider that they could monetise their content, particularly by just sharing the information about their books with their followers on a regular basis.”
Because for so many of the creators marketing and promoting their books is a new experience, Found also gives them support with ideas and tips on how to push their products to their audience.
“The results for many of them have been phenomenal and life changing.
“We have creators who are selling thousands of books and have transformed their lives thanks to Found. They are now able to earn their living through their creativity.”
For further information visit www.found.us and www.wttb.co.uk