The chain of events that led to two 23 year old uni dropouts running a million pound company.

“I’m dropping out” are three words that evoke panic, worry and even shame to many parents who have just waved off their precious bundles of hope to continue on their academic journey.

This was certainly the case for the parents of 22 year old Dominic McGregor and 23 year old Steve Bartlett, who received that fateful call in 2013.

However, it wasn’t long before they were surprisingly reassured by their son’s abrupt decision to leave university. Perhaps due to the fact they both quickly ended up as co-founders of an influencer marketing agency that has just seen first year revenues in excess of £1 million.

With sights set high after leaving education behind, Steve quickly began making waves within the social media world through a student based network that rapidly gained a huge online presence, so much so that it earned him the coveted title of Lloyds Entrepreneur of the year.

With university in his wake, and confidence from the success of his first business venture, Steve had realised one key thing; the power social media can have over young people.

This is where Dom came in. While contemplating his decision to continue study at Edinburgh University, he decided to create a Twitter page, or ‘community’ which related with likeminded students. The page exploded and soon amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.

Keen to advance on his recent success, Steve contacted Dom to propose the idea of utilising large social followings to connect with brands.

It was through their own passion for social media, a natural friendship, and their mutual understanding of the way brands succeed and fail at linking with young people that the aptly named “Social Chain” was born.

“Influencer marketing is revolutionising the way brands think about connecting with their audiences” says Dom, “Brands are widely aware that millennials interact with content through social media, however, influencing their buying behaviour effectively can be tricky. What we have developed at Social Chain is essentially a conduit which allows brands to segment their audience bases on interests, we can then utilise our network of communities and influencers that best align with the client’s objectives”.

In just 12 months, Social Chain have certainly demonstrated the power of their network from working with high calibre brands such as 20^th Century Fox, Comedy Central, BBC and Disney who were eager to connect with a younger audience through social media. With the young entrepreneurial duo boasting an audience reach of over 200 million, it’s no surprise that the phone keeps ringing.

Now, with a team of over 30 that average an age of just 22, Social Chain now occupy a 3500 sqft creative space in the heart of Manchester, a flourishing city which is becoming increasingly popular amongst younger people.

“Our work culture, not that we even call it ‘work’, is part of our identity. We are a very young and highly creative company and our office is a reflection of this. The creative industry in Manchester is definitely on the rise, stretching from creative agencies and start-ups, to an abundance of exciting restaurants and a thriving night life. It’s a perfect fit for us” said Steve.

Already having been nominated for awards, and able to boast an impressive roster of clients, Steve and Dom have not only eased any doubts their parents may have had for their future, they have arguably created one of the most innovative and exciting companies the UK has seen for some time.