By Nicola Younger
After many years working for large corporations, Nathan Kelsey decided enough was enough. Tired of the ‘one size fits all’ approach often taken by larger companies, Nathan decided to pursue his passion for helping small and medium-sized businesses in a way he felt they deserved, and give something back to the community where he has lived his whole life.
Nathan’s previous role as a Regional Manager for a global internet marketing company rewarded him with an incredible insight into how website design and SEO can be leveraged to help local businesses. Fortunate enough to be trained via experts from one of the world’s best-known online search organisations, Nathan had the confidence and knowledge to make the leap he sought into starting his own business. Some inheritance given to him from his Grandma enabled him to cover his bills while he spent 16 months researching and developing his business plan.
Nathan adds, “My research identified a gap in the market to help SMEs to benefit from business growth that targeted digital marketing can bring. While there were other website design companies and social media agencies in the area, they didn’t all offer clients the technical knowledge that would give businesses the opportunity to make the most of online marketing.”
Make Me Local, a full-service digital marketing agency, was successfully launched in April 2014. Now in its sixth year, the company has grown from 1 to 20 employees and has helped over 200 businesses. Nathan’s achievements were recognised in 2018 by winning ‘Best SME Business’ in his hometown.
“It’s extremely rewarding helping businesses that need leads but don’t have the time or expertise to find leads via the internet,” says Nathan.
Where will Make Me Local be in three years’ time? The plan is to have the company at a level where it does not need to find the volumes of business that is currently needed each month, enabling the team to enjoy an improved work-life balance alongside the other advantages that can be gained from working from home (or in Nathan’s case, his converted garage!)
Nathan’s zest for life and tenacious nature leaves us in no doubt that he will succeed in his future goals. Visit https://makemelocal.com/.
