Tiktok, fried egg sweets, and a tropical bear known as a kinkajou. Chances are you’ll suppose these three issues have little to do with one another.
However within the case of Simon Nova, of Gateshead, they helped to skyrocket his small autistic-run enterprise to success after surprising viral video fame.
The 33-year-old, took to social media to market his business, with a presence on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
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In the future Simon was scrolling by way of TikTok when he got here throughout a video of an American girl feeding sweets to a tropical bear known as a kinkajou. Kinkajous, often known as “honey bears” are native to the rainforests of Central and South America. With a weight loss program of largely high-sugar fruits, kinkajous are uniquely in a position to digest sweet sweets.
Simon despatched a message to Alex, the lead zookeeper at Kinkatopia in Boca Raton, Florida, asking if he might ship some UK sweets to the kinkajous. He stated: “I wasn’t anticipating something from it. I simply thought it might be good to see them consuming my sweets.”
(Picture: Simon Nova)
He despatched a field of his merchandise to Florida, and one morning a number of weeks later, Simon woke as much as 1,600 notifications.
Over 3 million folks considered the unique three-minute TikTok posted on the Kinkatopia web page. Out of the blue, Simon’s small Gateshead enterprise was getting worldwide consideration.
You’ll be able to watch the TikTok here
Earlier than turning into a viral sensation, Simon was getting a handful of orders a month, and solely provided to ship inside the UK. Out of the blue, requests have been coming in robust pressure from potential clients in America, and so far as the UAE.
Simon started to put plans for a way he would increase his enterprise from the again room of his home to transport worldwide.
(Picture: Simon Nova)
The Bonnebon Confectionery Co. is now doing ten instances the enterprise it did earlier than, and Simon has made operating his on-line enterprise right into a full-time job.
As somebody with autism, Simon discovered the standard nine-to-five job to be tough. He stated: “There’s a stigma round autism, I’m a standard individual, I simply have little totally different wires upstairs.
“Doing this enterprise has allowed me to do one thing that I’m good at and I could make my very own schedule. Though I may be behind my friends in life achievements, it provides me the chance of getting the identical high quality of life as they do.”
Simon is open on his enterprise’s social media channels about how his autism impacts his day-to-day life as a enterprise proprietor. He says it was actually tough at first to be so candid about his life, particularly getting over anxieties about how folks on-line would possibly scrutinise him.
Nonetheless, social media has put Simon in entrance of an overwhelmingly supportive viewers. He receives common messages from people with autism and fogeys of autistic youngsters who say that following Simon’s success provides them hope for the longer term.
Simon credit Alex at Kinkatopia for the enhance that her movies gave his on-line enterprise, in addition to his ecommerce platform, EKM, for serving to him to scale his enterprise to cowl the demand that comes with turning into an in a single day viral sensation.
You’ll be able to assist Simon and The Bonnebon Confectionery Co. by visiting bonnebon.co.uk.
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