Katie Bullon, CEO of activ Marketing, has been named a finalist in the 2025 Great British Entrepreneur Awards, shortlisted in the Creative Entrepreneur of the Year – Wales category.
Known as “The Grammys of Entrepreneurship”, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrate the most exceptional and inspiring business stories across the UK.
Katie’s second consecutive shortlisting highlights the transformative journey of activ Marketing, the UK’s only British Franchise Association-accredited marketing agency franchise, and a brand that continues to lead the way in redefining the self-employed marketing space.
What began as a solo freelance career in 2013 has been transformed into a high-impact, award-winning national franchise, with clients across the UK and a national community of self-employed marketing consultants choosing activ as their platform for success.
A Landmark Year for activ Marketing Franchise
Since her 2024 shortlisting, Katie has led activ through a bold and strategic evolution, combining creative vision with systemised delivery and a deeply supportive franchise model. The result is a network that is not only growing but reshaping how self-employed marketers build scalable, successful businesses.
Katie’s approach to leadership is grounded in empowering people. She believes that creative thinking should be paired with strong business fundamentals. Her vision for activ Marketing is to continue to build a collaborative, values-driven company that fosters growth not only for the brand but for every franchisee and client it serves.
Key milestones over the past 12 months include:
- Launching the activ Accelerator Programme, featuring professionally produced video training and a clear path to success for franchisees
- Achieving a 400% increase in franchise recruitment leads
- Rolling out a new CRM and marketing hub with plug-and-play campaigns and built-in lead generation
- Appointed as the British Franchise Association’s official marketing columnist
- Launching the first ever EWiF Wales group, championing women in franchising
- Opening a new Cardiff head office to support training, onboarding and collaboration
- Building a high-performing head office team across marketing, operations and finance
- Preparing to launch ‘activ Connections’, the UK’s first running and networking initiative of its kind, in partnership with Run Wales
Significantly growing national brand awareness as the go-to franchise model for self-employed marketing consultants
Recognition from the GBEA
“We’re so proud to reveal this year’s shortlist, a truly remarkable group of founders who are changing lives and transforming industries. The quality of entries gets stronger every year, and it’s clear that the entrepreneurial spirit in the UK is more alive than ever. Many of our finalists go on to become household names, and we can’t wait to watch what this year’s cohort achieves next.”
— Francesca James, Founder, Great British Entrepreneur Awards
A Word from Katie Bullon
“Being shortlisted again is a real honour, but this isn’t just about me. It’s a reflection of every franchisee and team member who brings activ to life through passion, values and results. Over the last year, we’ve laid new foundations, scaled with purpose, and proven that when creativity meets structure, big things happen. And we’re only just getting started.”
The Bigger Picture
The 2025 GBEA finalists collectively:
- Employ over 25,000 people across the UK
- Expect to create more than 9,000 new jobs over the next year
- Generate a combined turnover of over £2.25 billion
- Represent an average business age of six years
Winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony on Monday, 17th November 2025 at London’s Grosvenor House.
With continued investment, growing national presence and a clear vision for the future, activ Marketing is setting a new standard for franchise-led entrepreneurship in the marketing world.