Nexa Finance connects SME Property Developers with investment through a streamlined lending process designed to get projects funded faster. Its mission, to provide a true alternative lending model that challenges the overcomplicated commercial approach and unnecessary processes favoured by traditional banks.
“When the company was founded, our vision was to create a business of multi-faceted value. One that delivered economic upsides for the investor, created jobs in the local area, supported small enterprise and left a positive legacy of infrastructure that benefited the entire community,” said Brian Cartwright, Managing Director, Nexa Finance.
“We knew we had the right model. The question was how to present it so that we gained the confidence of the market.”
The Nexa team had identified the market opportunity and determined there was both an appetite and need for a lender whose processes were precisely tailored to small and medium enterprise.
However, to be successful, Nexa would need to develop a brand identity and market message that:
a) Clearly differentiated them from traditional banks and building societies
b) Presented their offering in a way that was clear and convincing for the target market
“I knew I needed a brand. I knew it needed to be clean and simple. I also needed it to connect with the diverse community of property developers found in Leicester. What I didn’t know was how to develop the brand identity, market message and presence that would achieve our aims. I needed a partner who could bring my vision to life,” said Brian.
Having worked with Laura at a previous company, Well & Truly was Nexa’s one and only port of call.
“Laura has an uncanny ability to articulate what I’m thinking and convert it into imagery that captures my vision and a language that connects with the market. Critically, she does this while being sensitive to the milestones we want to achieve, the timeline within which we want to achieve it and the budget available,” said Brian.
The Well & Truly team immersed themselves within the growing sub-sector of financial services and got under the skin of the target market to understand the motivations, appetite and potential barriers Nexa would face connecting with them.
The team carried out competitor and market analysis alongside in-depth interviews with financial experts, potential funders and prospective customers. All insights were fed into creating a succinct and motivating brand architecture as well as a clear and defining vision and mission that would guide the future marketing strategy.
The results achieved at launch exceeded all expectations:
“We had set ourselves a target to fund £2m – £3m of projects in the first quarter and £15m the following year. What we got was £38m worth of opportunities in the first week.”
“I knew that if we presented ourselves in the right way that people would buy into our approach. If all went well, I’d hoped we wouldn’t need any digital marketing and could build our portfolio from our network. I never suspected that we’d hit our annual target in one go,” said Brian.
Got a similar project? Speak to one of our experts today
GET IN TOUCH
