A BRANDING expert based near Swindon helped a new business valued at £3 million which allows one person to book an entire gym for an hour.

Danny Matthews of design and content studio Danny&co created the logos and other marketing material for Solo60 which attracted investors to its unusual concept.

He said: "It is such an exciting and totally new concept for the fitness industry, and it was such fun to work on this.

“It’s fantastic to see this business doing so well, and to have played a part in its success. Being valued at £1 million before getting your first customer is a big deal for a brand new business.”

Solo60 founder Ben Alderton approached Danny after spotting some of his previous work on social media and asked him to take on the project.

Ben had raised an initial sum from two angel investors and used this to kickstart the project.

He added: “I raised that first amount by putting a quick PowerPoint together and talking to investors, but we really needed a solid brand identity.

“I had approached other people too, but Danny and I really hit it off. I knew he was the person I wanted to take the brand – essentially my baby – and to build that up for me.

“I gave him a brief of our type of target market, the concept of the gyms and our plans, and that helped him form the basis of what look and feel we needed.”

When Ben took the brand out to investors, Danny's efforts helped secure the necessary £100,000 funding for the first gym, which opened in London in October.

A second is due to open in the capital in the spring. Each gym is based in former retail or office space, which customers can book for an hour via an app.

Ben added: “The branding made it really exciting for investors to get involved. It even helped with my own understanding of the business and to be more confident in it.”

Once more investment is raised, Ben aims to open 20 more gyms this year.

Danny said: “We often underestimate the true return on really good branding. But whether the goal is to raise capital, get more customers or increase your company’s value these are all just natural byproducts of brand confidence.”

For more information, visit https://dannyand.co and www.solo60.com