ADVERTISING FEATURE
DEFINING A DECADE
From start-up to scale up
The last decade has been all about change for Natalie Sherman . In 2013 , she was an employee working for Wiltshire Council , fast forward to 2023 and she ' s now the founder of successful social media agency , Naturally Social . We met with Natalie to find out more about her business journey from start-up to scale-up .
How has the business grown since set up ? Naturally Social was founded in 2015 and what started as a sole trader providing training and consultancy , quickly grew to a social-first MarComms agency and in 2019 I began to hire . Over the years I have moved from my kitchen table , to a hot desk to a permanent space at The Digital Mansion in Corsham . In 2022 we became a team of eight and in March 2023 we certified as a B Corp .
What ’ s changed since you started ? What hasn ’ t !? I ’ ve changed , the economy has changed as it always does , social media has changed . The way we consume content , interact with brands and expect brands to show up has completely changed . People ’ s understanding of social media has developed considerably over the last eight years too .
What ’ s remained the same ? My mission to use my skills for good and my determination to build a business that makes a difference to the communities we live in and work with .
What ’ s been the biggest challenge ? Building , developing and motivating a team – and doing it all during a pandemic and unstable economy . Before I started
Naturally Social I used to manage people in my day job , so I never anticipated how challenging I ’ d find it . But managing and leading is so different , especially when it ’ s your own business and you ’ re responsible for its culture and future and you ’ re responsible for the team around you . I ’ ve learned so much about myself through the process of hiring people , and I ’ ve learned so much about others .
What have been the biggest learnings ? That change is inevitable , it ’ s how you react and adapt to change that will dictate your future . That you must , must , must make sure you look after yourself . And on a practical level – know your numbers ! If you run a business and you don ’ t like numbers , it ' s tough . You better find the right people to teach you and support you .
What have been your highlights ? Being invited to 10 Downing Street in 2017 , getting the company name trade-marked , being named the UK ’ s No1 . Social Media Adviser twice , being finalists at the UK Social Media Awards and becoming a certified B Corp . Ooh and the NatWest Business Accelerator . I owe a lot to the mentors there .
What has defined the last decade in terms of social media trends ?
• Creators & influencers
• Ephemeral content
• Vertical video
• Entertainment
• Gen Z
What do you think will define the next decade ? The use of artificial Intelligence . There ’ s a lot of change coming , above and beyond Chat GPT . Organisations need to start taking it seriously and look at how they can work with it and not avoid it .
What ’ s next for Naturally Social ? Our brand is all about being ahead of the curve . Internally , we ’ re asking how we continue to do this in the current climate , which is a really exciting place to be . Keep an eye on our social media feeds for news of this in the coming months .
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CALL TODAY FOR A CHAT : 01225 809990 , OR VISIT US ONLINE AT : NATURALLYSOCIAL . CO . UK
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2023 37