3.3B Views A Month... How Benjy Leslie Built The UK's No.1 Social First Talent Agency In Just 6 Years!

3.3B Views A Month... How Benjy Leslie Built The UK's No.1 Social First Talent Agency In Just 6 Years!

Can a 20-year-old with no experience turn one TikTok creator into a £250,000 opportunity and build one of the UK’s most respected social-first talent agencies?Benjy Leslie is the founder and CEO of Connect Management, one of the UK’s leading creator talent management and influencer marketing agencies. In just six years, Connect has grown from a lockdown start-up into a major force in the creator economy, working with social-first talent, YouTubers, TikTok creators, brands, agencies and some of the biggest names in modern media.Want more from Building The Brand - connect here:https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter]Connect with Benjy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjy-leslie-837b64144/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjy-leslie-837b64144/]In this episode, Benjy explains how he made £250,000 from one creator in three months, why social media is “the free lottery” for founders, how Connect Academy generated £1m for micro-creators in its first year, why brands need to move beyond one-off influencer campaigns, and why the future belongs to creators, entrepreneurs and businesses that can build attention, adapt quickly and turn content into long-term brand value.▪️How Benjy Leslie built Connect Management during lockdown ▪️Turning one TikTok creator into £250,000 revenue ▪️Why energy, belief and naivety can beat experience ▪️How creators become salespeople, media brands and business owners ▪️How Connect Academy generated £1m for micro-creators ▪️Why brands need to move beyond one-off influencer campaigns ▪️How YouTube shows are shaping the future of branded content ▪️Why social-first creators are changing TV and media ▪️Building culture through incentives, rewards and high standards ▪️Why founder content drives clients, talent, trust and recruitment ▪️Why social media is the free lottery for entrepreneurs ▪️Launching Connect Management in America without losing culture KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — Why social media is the free lottery 1:33 — 3.3 billion views and the bedroom start-up story 3:43 — Making £250,000 from one TikTok creator 5:14 — Naivety, belief and early-stage founder energy 6:05 — What Connect Management does for creators 7:02 — Connect Academy and the creator pathway 10:06 — What makes a creator commercially valuable 13:21 — Using data and AI to track creator trends 15:05 — Scaling to 60 staff while staying bootstrapped 19:51 — PAUSE POINT: Culture as a business growth strategy 24:53 — Best boss PR, incentives and sales motivation 30:52 — Why brands get influencer marketing wrong 31:05 — YouTube shows and the future of branded content 33:08 — Why creators need patience and consistency 37:57 — Targeted sales, attention and commercial logic 40:24 — Why great salespeople listen and move on 47:17 — Why TV is not dying, it is evolving 49:39 — 360 talent management and creator brands 51:30 — PAUSE POINT: Evolution, relevance and content strategy 54:41 — Why founders should treat social media as the free lottery 58:11 — Recruitment, founder brand and social proof 1:00:14 — Launching Connect Management in America 1:02:43 — Selling Fletcher Holman to Wolves through social media 1:03:59 — PAUSE POINT: Finding million-pound ideas in unexpected places 1:06:58 — Scaling without losing company culture 1:10:30 — Ronaldo, Haaland and authentic content

PREVIEW: Benjy Leslie On Building a 3.3B View Creator Agency

Benjy Leslie is the founder and CEO of Connect Management which has grown from lockdown start-up into a social-first talent agency representing the biggest names in modern media.LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE NOW [https://pod.link/1883368447]

YO! Sushi Founder Simon Woodroffe: Prison, Rock ’N’ Roll, Starting At 45 & Building One Of Britain’s Most Iconic Brands

Can rebellion, enthusiasm and one strange idea change your entire life? Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL and the wider YO! brand, shares the extraordinary journey from boarding school, rebellion, prison, rock and roll stage design and TV rights to launching YO! Sushi at 45 and building one of Britain’s most recognisable modern brands.  Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial [https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial] Want more from Building The Brand - connect here:https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] Get Simon’s book YO! Man:https://yo.co.uk/yoman/ [https://yo.co.uk/yoman/] ▪️Why Simon believes enthusiasm is the trait behind his success ▪️Why rebellion can become entrepreneurial fuel ▪️Going to prison and how it changed Simon’s life ▪️How Simon became a rock and roll stage designer ▪️Working around Rod Stewart, Queen, ABBA, Jethro Tull and major live shows ▪️Spotting the opportunity in music TV rights before the market existed ▪️Why the best founders can be early to a market without being reckless ▪️How a lunch meeting sparked the idea for YO! Sushi ▪️Why conveyor belt sushi, robots and Japanese culture felt like the future ▪️Launching YO! Sushi at 45 with his own money on the line ▪️How word of mouth turned YO! Sushi into an iconic British brand ▪️The story behind YOTEL and building a brand across multiple verticals ▪️Why Simon still believes in YO! Home, YO! Airships and future YO! concepts KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — The trait behind Simon’s success 2:06 — Boarding school, authority and rebellion 7:17 — Getting arrested and going to detention 12:43 — Working on yourself as a founder 16:31 — PAUSE POINT: Work on yourself 23:31 — Intensity, enthusiasm and leadership 28:32 — Becoming a rock and roll roadie 32:06 — Band, brand and live spectacle 38:00 — Spotting the music TV rights opportunity 43:06 — Being early to new markets 45:04 — PAUSE POINT: Early or mistaken? 49:24 — The lunch that sparked YO! Sushi 52:04 — Researching and believing in the idea 55:13 — Gut instinct vs market research 56:35 — YO! Home and future living 1:02:09 — Opening YO! Sushi to an empty room 1:02:50 — The queue that lasted five years 1:05:24 — Growing YO! Sushi and YOTEL 1:08:26 — PAUSE POINT: Unrelenting enthusiasm 1:13:57 — Simon’s advice for entrepreneurs

PREVIEW: Yo! Sushi Founder Simon Woodroofe: Prison, Rock N' Roll & Conveyor Belt Sushi

Simon Woodroffe, founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL and the wider YO! brand, shares the extraordinary journey from boarding school, rebellion, prison, rock and roll stage design and TV rights to launching YO! Sushi at 45 and building one of Britain’s most recognisable modern brands. Full episode out now on APPLE [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/building-the-brand-with-james-burtt/id1883368447] | SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/show/7mIxbhIuDvsCkiUnREWBu1] | AMAZON MUSIC [https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/7a9f75b5-6a1a-496d-b1f8-7cc2885cc827/building-the-brand-with-james-burtt]

He Lost His Fashion Empire… Then Raised £4M To Build A Brazilian Beer Brand Taking On The Drinks Industry Giants

Can you lose a multi-million-pound fashion business almost overnight… and still come back to build a brand in a completely different industry? Charles Gay is the founder of Favela, the Brazilian-inspired beer brand [https://www.favelacerveja.com/]bringing sunshine, culture, gluten-free lager, hospitality partnerships and premium party energy into the UK and European drinks market. Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial [https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial] Want more from Building The Brand - connect here:https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] In this episode of Building The Brand, Charles shares the incredible story of going from fashion entrepreneur and brand creator to launching Favela Cerveja, a Brazilian beer brand built around culture, community, purpose and one very clear gap in the market. But this conversation is not just about beer, hospitality or building an alcohol brand. It is about losing everything, having to shut down a successful fashion business almost overnight, dealing with the pressure of staff, suppliers and cancelled orders, rebuilding from scratch, raising investment, learning a new industry, cold-calling bars, driving beer across Europe himself, and proving that brand-building principles can transfer across completely different markets. He also breaks down the realities of the drinks industry, from brewery partnerships, wholesalers, distributors and hospitality groups through to premium venues, football sponsorship, Ibiza activations, Amazonico, Dubai, Marbella, O Beach Ibiza and the strategic move into aluminium bottles. Connect with Favela:https://www.favelacerveja.com/ [https://www.favelacerveja.com/] IN THIS EPISODE: ▪️How Charles Gay went from fashion entrepreneur to beer brand founder ▪️Why Brazil inspired the creation of Favela Cerveja ▪️Spotting the gap for a Brazilian beer brand in the UK drinks market ▪️Creating a gluten-free, vegan and purpose-led beer brand ▪️The role of brand design, packaging, IP and trademarks ▪️How Charles raised his first £1M to launch Favela ▪️Why investors backed the founder, the story and the purpose ▪️How to build a drinks brand through bars, restaurants and wholesalers ▪️Why cold-calling and hand-delivering product still matters ▪️How Favela partnered with O Beach Ibiza and Amazonico ▪️The strategic importance of aluminium bottles in beer ▪️The difference between on-trade, off-trade and supermarket distribution ▪️Why the right venue partnerships matter more than being everywhere KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — Charles Gay on raising £1M, Ibiza and building Favela 1:05 — From fashion entrepreneur to Brazilian beer brand founder 3:15 — Creating a gluten-free, organic, vegan beer concept 5:22 — Spotting the gluten-free trend before the market caught up 9:25 — PAUSE POINT: Market gaps are easier to see from outside the industry 11:37 — Losing the fashion business and saving Favela 19:18 — Relaunching Favela and raising the first £1M 22:06 — The Favela Foundation and building a purpose-led beer brand 23:45 — PAUSE POINT: What survives when a business collapses? 26:37 — Rebuilding the brewery, team, marketing and distribution 30:05 — Cold-calling bars and hand-delivering beer in Glasgow 33:33 — Starting again, swallowing your ego and leaving fashion behind 39:15 — Why aluminium bottles are a major opportunity for Favela 42:15 — Getting Favela into O Beach Ibiza 47:01 — Driving beer through Europe to Ibiza with his dad 48:44 — PAUSE POINT: Founder mode means doing whatever it takes 52:25 — Amazonico, Dubai, Monaco, Miami and premium global venues 56:29 — Why on-trade comes before supermarket retail distribution 1:00:15 — The biggest lessons from losing a multi-million-pound business 1:03:40 — World Cup activations, Dubai, Spain and Favela’s next stage