Meet the Local Leader: Fin Wycherley

Enterprise Nation is on a mission to take the loneliness out of entrepreneurship. Through our online local meet-ups, we're offering a ready-made support network to small business owners across the UK and Ireland.

These monthly meet-ups wouldn’t exist without our army of Local Leaders; amazing individuals who are passionate about supporting small businesses, and are committed to their local communities.

Here, we meet Fin Wycherley, your Edinburgh Local Leader.

Fin, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’ve been in the social media industry since (pretty much) the beginning and I've acquired a lot of influential fans along the way – political parties, luxury brands, influencers and even presidents of the United States.

'm also a regular on BBC TV and radio, where I discuss all aspects of social media and digital marketing.

My agency, Supersize Media, conducts two main activities:

• Social media marketing management: We take over the client's marketing, PR, ads, content and Reels. We meet with the client each month to discuss results, further recommendations and plans for the month ahead. We manage their social media content, onboarding emails, ads, influencer outreach, PR, podcasting, blogging and sales.

• Social media training, workshops and coaching: Here, we work with marketing teams or business owners to make sure they are taking advantage of all online opportunities, and we coach them in how to to create outstanding results online for their key audience and prospects.

What inspired you to become an Enterprise Nation Local Leader?

There is just not enough support and information for start-ups and micro businesses. They tend to only have local public-sector support organisations which are, well, very public sector.

Enterprise Nation is much closer to the beating heart of the start-up community, with the right level of advice, support, training and networking that they need.

I've been a trainer with Enterprise Nation for many years, and I love to give back and help people avoid painful and costly mistakes. I once had my own radio show for small businesses because the mainstream media only ever seemed interested in large corporates.

I'm also a big fan of networking and understand how critical it is to succeed in business. It's not always about creating wealth, making sales or meeting prospects; it’s about seeing things from a different perspective and tweaking your mindset. Being a Local Leader means I can help people do just that.

Tell us about the small business scene around Edinburgh.

Scotland has enormous amounts of talent, creativity and storytelling strength in its DNA. Physical business networking groups are usually well attended, but mainly by folks who don't have care responsibilities, or those that can travel easily.

So it's been great to see more of the 'not the usual suspects' get out and start networking. It's so refreshing to see the diversity of views, perspectives, backgrounds and ambitions. We're all richer for it.

What challenges are businesses in your area facing?

Uncertainty in the economy, definitely. Recruitment too, thanks to Brexit, the Great Resignation, and COVID. More recently the 'cost of living' crisis has left businesses reeling, and not all will survive.

Most businesses will need to have a phenomenal team around them, digital and online expertise, and a planned and consistent growth strategy. It's the only way to be resilient while operating on these shifting sands.

Why should small business owners in and around Edinburgh consider joining your monthly meet-up?

It's a friendly group of start-ups, business owners and 'wantrepreneurs'. Even if you only have an idea for a business, it's a great place to chat to other founders.

Some people in the group have high-level finance, marketing or business development expertise – so everyone comes away with a few useful nuggets or connections that can significantly improve their business.

You might not be the right solution for people in the group but you probably know a whole heap of people who can help them. That's when networking really works – when people appreciate becoming a resource for each other – rather than just a potential sale or prospect.

Small business local meet-ups with Enterprise Nation

Local meet-ups take place every month. Find your nearest and reserve your place