Washington based Riverside Marketing Solutions is celebrating five years in business following its launch at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
When owner, Nicola Halse, found herself out of work in March 2020, she decided to take the plunge and set up the marketing and business development business. Since then, she has worked with over fifty organisations from a variety of sectors including engineering, logistics, insurance, construction, accountancy and most recently, cyber security.
Nicola, who has over 30 years’ experience within marketing, sales and business development, decided to offer Riverside’s range of services on a completely flexible basis, with companies not committed to signing any short or long term agreements.
With services covering fractional marketing manager support, social media management, email campaigns, business development and tailored LinkedIn training sessions, the ‘no ties’ approach is something which North East SME’s have certainly taken advantage of.
Last year, due to an increase in demand for her services and with an eye on the current and future investment in the Sunderland area, the business took up a co-working space at the North East BIC.
Commenting on the birthday milestone, Nicola said, ‘Who would have thought that in the turmoil that was the start of the Covid pandemic, I would be sitting here five years later celebrating my fifth anniversary.
Whether it’s on a long term basis or one-off projects, I’ve worked with so many fantastic businesses and have been delighted to be a part of their success. As a general rule, I’ve found the North East tends to keep under the radar about the fantastic things we do and that included many of my clients. From employing apprentices, winning awards, increasing turnover or moving into larger premises, it’s important that organisations share the successes they experience and that’s where marketing is an essential part of their business strategy.
The last five years have definitely not always been easy and especially launching in such a difficult period, however, with the support of my family, friends and the fantastic North East business community, I’m immensely proud to have made it this far.
Locating to The BIC last year was a real turning point for me, it’s provided fantastic opportunities to access their business support and connect with fellow organisations within the centre, several of which are now clients.
Not only has the business given me the opportunity to share the successes of my clients but it’s also given me the flexibility to focus on a subject I’m passionate about, which is supporting and advising young people about the world of work.
I became an Enterprise Advisor at Durham Sixth Form in 2022 and have recently also taken up the role of a STEM Ambassador, these have given me the opportunity to support students through career talks, advice with projects and attend many mock interview sessions (a big thank you to my clients too who regularly get asked to attend with me!).
I’m looking forward to working with fantastic North East businesses and showcasing the very best they can do while supporting young people in my community, here’s to the next five years!’
www.riversidemarketingsolutions.co.uk