Meet the Burnley siblings who have grown multi-million-pound company Ratcliffe Brothers in just three years – before the age of 30

The founders of B2B start-up marketing agency Ratcliffe Brothers have gone from struggling to pay the rent while on a football scholarship in America to being the brains behind the Growing Viral newsletter on LinkedIn.

Morgan and Niall Ratcliffe have even found a fan in BBC One Dragons' Den investor, Stephen Bartlette, who praised Growing Viral on Twitter, saying he was “excited” to watch its journey.

From having previously used a food bank, Niall (22) says the business has “changed our lives really quickly. We don’t have fancy clothes and cars but we can treat our parents. Our family really encouraged us so now we have a chance to give back to them.”

The brothers originally dreamed of being professional footballers, which took them to Coker University in South Carolina. But their ambitions took a U-turn when they began telling their own story on LinkedIn. Impressed with how they marketed themselves, their first client asked the duo to do the same for his business. Morgan (25) had been working in financing and Niall in marketing at the time, all while studying. Their experiences allowed them to combine their skills and launch their own story-driven marketing business in April 2022.

Niall said: "It seemed like a big risk to quit our jobs but we took it, and our company quickly started to grow.”

Asked whether their new path revealed a hidden talent for story-telling, Morgan said: “It’s more of an obsession. We show up every day and work hard.”

Either way, their team has grown from two to 12 over the past three years, with their mum also being on the payroll. The pair say they are determined to become even bigger, with Morgan adding: “We’re barely scratching the surface. Our revenue is three or four times what is was last year and we’re not slowing down. There’s a long way to go but we’re not resting on our laurels.”

And to any young person in Burnley dreaming of launching their own business, Niall said: “Start first, figure the rest out later. Share your story as you grow. Write 100 words on LinkedIn about what you learnt. Everyone has something people can relate to.”