When Suhit Amin was diagnosed with cancer in February last year, he was faced with his own mortality at the tender age of 17.
But when the going got tough, Suhit got going. He decided to use whatever time he had left to fulfil his dream of running his own social media talent agency.
Fast-forward 20 months and not only is the brave teenager in remission but his company – Saulderson Media – is raking in a small fortune after signing some of the world’s top
internet influencers.
Suhit, 18, who earned a six-figure sum in his first six months of trading, represents, among others, elite Fortnite pro-gamers thatdenverguy and Kados, who each have more than one million followers.
The inspirational student, who achieved six grade As in his Highers at Glasgow’s Hutchesons’ Grammar School while undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, says his illness spurred him on to success.
Suhit, whose incredible business achievements have earned him a Sunday Mail Young Scot Award Enterprise nomination, said: “Being diagnosed with Stage 2A Hodgkin lymphoma when I was just 17 came as a bit of a shock but, right from the start, I was determined not to let it get me down.
“My illness motivated me to channel my ambitions and pursue my entrepreneurial passions. My mindset was that if I wasn’t alive in a year’s time, I wanted to go out doing
something big that I loved.
“I was determined to live every day like it was my last and that’s what I did. Luckily, six months of chemo worked and last September I went
into remission. By that time, my company had already made six figures and it has just continued to grow.
“I am quite shocked at just how well the company is doing. Life is good and I feel very lucky.”
Before setting up his business in July 2018, the former deputy head boy worked for ESL, the world’s biggest esports company, becoming its youngest employee at just 16 and running UK campaigns for them with Currys, PC World and Samsung.
After breaking out on his own, Suhit, who is studying economics and management at St Andrews University, now manages a host of up-and-coming influencers on
social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitch – a live-streaming video games website. He also provides a marketing strategy service to global brands.
Suhit, who employs three part-time staff at his Merchant City-based office, said:
“We work with high-performing, non-celebrity social influencers in the esports and gaming sector as well as Instagram personalities.
“Kados and thatdenverguy, who both have more than one million YouTube subscribers, are just two examples of who we represent and commercially manage.
“We also help big brands with their marketing campaigns.
We have a network of more than 1000 influencers who companies can use to endorse their brands, products and services.”
Suhit, who grew up in Giffnock with his parents Dimal and Archana and brother Anish, 21, added: “We recently did our first six-figure campaign with mobile game developer Plarium. We helped them with the launch of Raid: Shadow Legends.
“The long-term plan is to turn the company into a global business before selling it in 10 years and going into something new and fresh like artificial intelligence.”
The keen hockey player says he feels honoured to receive a Young Scot nomination. He said: “What a privilege it is to be nominated. I really hope my story inspires other young people to follow their dreams and see setbacks like cancer as challenges rather than obstacles.”
Do you know someone as inspirational as Suhit? If so, go to www.youngscotawards.co.uk
and nominate.
