Wearside based marketing consultancy, Riverside Marketing Solutions, has been named as a finalist in the StartUp Awards National Series in the professional services category
The company, which was launched in April 2020 by owner, Nicola Halse, offers flexible marketing and business development solutions for sole traders and small businesses including social media management, marketing strategies, email campaigns and PR.
The StartUp Awards National Series were launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated since the pandemic began. In 2020, more than 770,000 startups were set up in Britain with similar increases seen in other European countries.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, brands have had to adapt as people seek new ways to communicate, seek information and purchase. It has been essential for businesses to maintain their marketing presence to ensure they don’t get forgotten and to find new ways of reaching their target market, the services of Riverside Marketing Solutions have been invaluable to small businesses throughout this time.
Owner, Nicola Halse, was delighted to have been shortlisted and commented, “After finding myself out of work one week into the UK’s first lockdown and worldwide pandemic, I decided to take the plunge and within a couple of hours, Riverside Marketing was born, it really was that quick of a decision!
Having worked for many small businesses during my career I knew the problems and concerns they experience therefore I decided to offer my services on a no contract, no ties basis, this enabled clients to try my services without having to commit to a long-term contract. This flexible solution has worked extremely well and is very appealing to smaller businesses, with many clients using my services on a short-term basis for a particular project or, for several clients, continuing to use my services on a longer-term basis to ensure they have consistency in their marketing and business development, a key to ongoing success in any business.
Now having the flexibility of running my own business, it’s also allowed me the opportunity to get involved in many community projects and to help young entrepreneurs, something I’m really passionate about. During the last two years, I’ve taken part in several career talks, mock interviews, became a mentor for The Girls Network and recently was appointed as a trustee of a local secondary school. The role of business in the community and to help inspire the younger generation is something that shouldn’t be underestimated and I’m so pleased I can hopefully inspire somebody else to start their own business and quite simply, go for it! I really couldn’t have gotten this far without the help and support of my family, friends and fantastic connections throughout the north east, to be shortlisted for the award is not only recognition of my hard work over the last two years but also their unwavering support too.
After obviously what has been a challenging two years, I can’t wait to enjoy the awards final and whatever the outcome, celebrate with fellow new business owners.
