🚀 OUT NOW: Black Business Magazine — Startup Edition
Our cover feature is @elfriedsamba & Michael Heaven , co-founders of The Butterfly Effect — not chasing virality, engineering movements.
Why this one hits different (and what founders can steal today)...
“An audience watches. A community builds with you.” That’s how moments become movements.
Brand = repetition. One truth, many executions, until it’s undeniable.
Platform-native or nothing. Earn attention with entertainment; let paid amplify, not replace.
Focus > FOMO. Discipline in saying no sharpens the work and accelerates growth.
Representation by design. Diversity isn’t a checkbox — it’s a competitive advantage.
Elf led the growth of Gymshark’s community from ~1.5M to 20M+ as former Global Head of Social Content. Michael was a part of the founding team at Social Chain and led its US expansion.
Together, they’ve built The Butterfly Effect into a seven-figure agency (reporting £2m+ turnover) — partnering with brands from Netflix and Bumble to McDonald’s and Square.
“We didn’t want to add noise. We wanted to shift culture…
We stopped talking. We started building.”
Read the full interview in Black Business Magazine – The Startup Edition.
👉🏾 Tag a founder who needs this playbook 🔖
This edition is sponsored by @lloydsbankbusiness
Thank you to the team who worked on this edition!
Editor in Chief @justiceamariah
CEO @tru_powell
Managing Editor @afuathescot
Senior Editorial Assistant/Writer @lizziebethwrites
Editorial Designer Shola Ladeji
Photographer @amandaakokhiaphotography
MUA @facesbyhawa
BTS @savannahpictures.tv
Styling @elvardi.london and @seventhstores
It’s official, I’m a @cannes_lions Ambassador 🤝🏽
It’s that time of year again!
I’ll be honest - I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider, especially in this industry.
From the other side of the velvet rope, Cannes Lions can look like a very expensive group chat that you weren’t invited to.
I didn’t know what to expect the first time. I was nervous about the rooms I’d be in and whether I’d have anything to say.
But I’ve been back every year since 2022 because I realised something: we aren’t just there to fit into the culture - we are there to add to it.
Once you’re in the room, the perspective shifts. It’s not just a festival; it’s a massive shortcut to the business side of creativity.
Looking back at 2025, the real ROI wasn’t the scenery; it was the momentum:
- The Network Effect: Being in the Palais puts you in the same room as the people you usually only see in headlines. I stopped standing on the sidelines and started building real human connections with people who actually move the needle (and don’t just talk about “disrupting” it).
- The Access: I met brand decision-makers over a coffee that usually take months to reach via email. Those 10-minute conversations turned into actual business growth and partnerships that sustained my work all year.
- The Insight: I stopped guessing where the industry was going. I heard the forecast directly from the people defining it, which let me stop reacting to the news and start leading the conversation.
If you’re a creator on the fence, I get the skepticism. I was right there with you.
But for creators and entrepreneurs, this is more than visibility - it’s about sharper thinking and career momentum.
Don’t just watch the industry from the outside. Come and help define it.
Explore how Cannes Lions can unlock your next chapter of growth:
LINK: In bio
Code: ELFRIEDCREATOR
#canneslions #canneslionspartner
@cannes_lions
This week on The Bottleneck Podcast:
The legendary @robbielyleofficial joins @elfriedsamba
From the concrete outside the Emirates to building a pioneering digital media empire, Robbie breaks down the rise of @aftvmedia and how he revolutionised sports broadcasting by giving the fans a voice. Discover the grit, the vision, and the business behind the most influential platform in football culture.
A @sassyplus_ original podcast series
#RorySutherland #ElfriedSamba #BottleneckPodcast #RobbieLyle #AFTV
AFTV was built on momentum, not a perfect plan.
Robbie Lyle started @aftvmedia with no media experience and no clear roadmap, and while the early videos were rough, the idea was strong: put real fans at the centre of football media. From there, the rule was simple: cover every game, move with the conversation, and keep going until the platform became impossible to ignore.
A @sassyplus_ original podcast series
#RorySutherland #ElfriedSamba
#BottleneckPodcast #AFTV
#RobbieLyle
The worst thing any brand can do…
Is believe it’s in a boring industry, and act accordingly.
The best brands don’t follow the rules of their industry, they rewrite them!
👉 follow @butterflyeffect.xyz
18 creators. 15 niches. One dinner in Soho.
Le Centile x Elfried Samba. London, you went first and set the bar.
Thank you Elfried and team! 5 cities to go ❤️
📸: @wilhelm.schenk and @zeinrabbat
This week on The Bottleneck Podcast: The powerhouse June Sarpong joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba.
From her start at Kiss FM to becoming a global voice on leadership and representation, June shares how to build a career that lasts three decades through the art of reinvention.
A @sassyplus_ original podcast series
#RorySutherland #ElfriedSamba
#BottleneckPodcast #JuneSarpong
#CompanyCulture
Why emotion is your last competitive advantage
Elfried Samba on what happens when technology levels the playing field. When every product is broadly the same, the only differentiator left is how it makes people feel. History builds trust. Emotion drives choice. And when you fuse the two, that’s when brands become truly powerful.
A @sassyplus_ original podcast series
#RorySutherland #ElfriedSamba
#EllieNorman #BottleneckPodcast
#FormulaE EmotionalIntelligence
CustomerExperience MarketingPsychology
Ellie Norman.
The most mentioned name on @bottleneckpod - who had never been a guest. Until now.
Her career is nothing short of extraordinary: • Formula E • Manchester United • Formula 1 • Virgin Media • Honda Motors
From the landmark decision to partner with Netflix on “Drive to Survive” to the cultural transformation happening at Formula E today …
Ellie has helped shape some of the most important moments in modern sport.
This is a conversation you’ll want to tune into.
Out now - link in bio
@ellietory
