‘How I turned a few tweets into a multi-million pound business’

When Ryan Williams set up a parody Twitter account for a laugh, he had no idea it would one day make him a multi-millionaire.

The 35-year-old had just welcomed his first-born Lexi when he created Slow Sports News, a satire account which posts old football stories.

As the page quickly gained 50,000 followers, it encouraged him to set up another parody account called Deluded Brendan, this time jokingly impersonating football manager Brendan Rogers.

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It didn’t take long for the page to rack up a whopping 300,000 fans, leaving Ryan winning prizes at football content award shows.

Seeing how companies like LadBible were making money from their popular social media pages, Ryan, from Chadderton, decided to team up with two others in the industry.

They went on to create a Facebook page called It’s Gone Viral, an account focused on sharing newsworthy viral content.

The page was an instant hit and skyrocketed in popularity – now boasting an incredible 11.3 million followers on Facebook and 5.4 million on TikTok.

Ryan decided to quit his IT job in 2016 to focus on his business full time, which rebranded to the KOMI Group in 2020.

Thankfully, the risk paid off – with the company growing so quickly they moved into an office space in Rochdale and began hiring staff.

“It was a risk, but a calculated risk,” dad-of-two Ryan, now 35, told the Manchester Evening News. “It was something I loved doing.”

As business continued to boom, Ryan and his team began creating separate pages for interests including games, pets and lifestyle.

By 2018, the company was earning around £400 per Facebook video, seeing the social media department alone turn over a whopping £60k a month at its peak.

The firm moved into an Ancoats office in 2019 and had employed a further 40 members of staff by the time the 2020 rolled around.

And while they struggled during the pandemic, the company saw a £1 million turnover in 2021 and grew to 88 employees in 2022.

That same year, Ryan made the decision to step back from the company to spend more time with his family, cashing out with a multiple seven-figure deal.

He now helps younger entrepreneurs looking to follow a similar path through public speaking and mentoring.

“It grew and grew and grew and it turned into a monster,” Ryan continued. “I preferred the parts where we were a bit smaller. Suddenly I was an MD with a company of 88 members of staff.

“It was a complete clean exit in November 2022, a multi seven-figure deal. It was sending a few tweets to having millions worth of pages and dozens of staff.

“It’s been a journey getting my story and name out there. Now I really want to help other businesses in the same situation.

“I got a D at business studies at sixth form, I hated it. But looking back I’ve been a successful entrepreneur and now do public speaking about my journey.”

Ryan says it took a “long time” for him to appreciate his achievements. “I’m super proud,” he added. “It took me a long time to appreciate what I’d done.

“I downplay it a bit, but when I speak out and tell people about it, their eyes light up. They’re like, ‘That’s epic,’ and I’m like, yeah.

“But when you’re there, day-to-day, you don’t realise it. Looking back, I’m so proud of what I’ve done.

“It’s nice to leave on a high as well. They want to continue growing which is great for them.

“It’s a great thing considering it was from tweeting with a baby in one hand. The journey was just phenomenal, there was lots of enjoyment.”