BEST NEW ENTREPRENEUR
AWARDS 2023
SPONSORED BY WESTRAY RECRUITMENT GROUP
FINALIST
HOLLY THOMSON ( BLONDE CREATIVE )
Blend founder and MD James Lees was presented with his trophy by Ashleigh Wright , commercial director of Westray Recruitment Group .
WINNER
JAMES LEES ( BLEND )
The man behind a trailblazing marketing agency admits he was uncharacteristically “ lost for words ” after winning an award for his entrepreneurial skills .
Blend founder and MD James Lees was named Best New Entrepreneur at the Best New Tees Business Awards .
Launched in June 2022 , Middlesbrough-based Blend has seen rapid growth , managing a diverse portfolio , securing impressive recurring income and supporting local Teesside agencies .
With nearly two decades in the marketing and tech sectors , James has made his mark in the industry , propelling various companies to success with numerous awards and recognitions .
And after picking up his award , an incredulous James said : “ For once in my life , I ’ m lost for words . This is ridiculous . I spent my life pushing people forward to say how mint they are – it ’ s the first time I ’ ve had a bit of respect for myself and it ’ s nice .
“ Blend is my main focus and I ’ m just trying to enjoy myself and ensure everyone who works with us enjoys themselves and just try to make a difference . I ’ m from around here . I want to make a difference around here . This is as humbling as you can get .”
Explaining the Blend ethos , he said : “ We ’ re an outsource marketing director for people who can ’ t afford one . Clients are happy , the team ’ s happy , I ’ m happy – and I ’ d like to think that ’ s the reason we ’ ve got this lovely bit of glass .
“ I am Teesside through and through . I love the area and I love the people – anyone around here will know what I ’ m about when it comes to this area .”
And proudly clutching the trophy , he added : “ Let ’ s see what ’ s going to happen next year . If we ’ re standing here this time next year , we ’ ll be a team of 10 doing some wonderful stuff . This is outstanding .”
As the reigning Best Newcomer at the Tees Businesswomen Awards , Holly is proving she is going places and taking her business , Blonde Creative , to new heights .
From an idea during a walk in the park to a fully established copywriting and brand strategy business with a fantastic reputation , Holly is proof that innovative ideas and an energy that feeds creativity are instrumental in making a mark in the industry .
And Holly ’ s future is still growing , with incredible opportunities in the pipeline – including a TEDx Talk and new collaborations . Holly ’ s an inspiring and impressive role model for many , providing encouragement to students and supporting other copywriters , and she aims to keep driving her business to continued success .
FINALIST
ADAM FOSTER ( PROPER MINT MARKETING )
Proper Mint Marketing helps “ proper mint ” brands grow their business by providing excellent results across SEO and content marketing .
Adam Foster has a proven industry track record – notably the planning , management and implementation of an SEO campaign that grew MyProtein ’ s annual revenue by over £ 1.4m . That success , along with a work ethic that saw him become the Mr Britain 2022 bodybuilding champion , ultimately gave him the motivation to create Proper Mint Marketing later in 2022 . Adam dispels the myth that SEO is “ black magic , witchcraft and wizardry ”, making seemingly complex issues understandable and showing his clients not only what he ’ s done , but why he ’ s done it – providing the tools to navigate SEO comfortably themselves .
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