Solent Graduate named Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Wellness Social Media Agency

A Southampton Solent University graduate has been honoured at the New Mayor's Ceremony in Southampton, winning the Young Entrepreneur Southampton 2026 award for her fast-growing social media agency.

Megan Borras, a graduate of Solent University’s BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing course, has been named Young Entrepreneur Southampton 2026 at the New Mayor’s Ceremony.

"It felt like acknowledgement of the hard work that I've put in behind the scenes that no one really sees, the late nights, the early mornings, the working weekends, the missing dinners. The recognition of that was really lovely." Megan shared.

The award recognises enterprising individuals who have demonstrated innovation, ambition and a tangible impact on the local economy, as reflected in her work founding Beam Socials, a specialist social media agency serving health, wellness and lifestyle brands.

Launched in May 2025, Beam Socials has grown mostly through word of mouth and has remained fully booked since its first day of trading.

In its first year alone, Megan’s agency generated more than 15 million views across client accounts and helped clients gain over 76,000 new followers. Throughout this growth, Megan worked solo, managing everything from content strategy and brand development to shoots and community management.

Megan graduated from Solent in 2021, gaining the skills and industry insight that would later prove essential to running her own business:

"Time management was a massive thing. Being able to speak in front of a group, the professionalism of email communication with tutors and externals, these are the things that people don’t realise are valuable," she says.

It was also at Solent that Megan had her first taste of working with real industry clients:

"Working with external companies on live projects was the closest thing to real-world experience you can get. When you bring someone from the outside in, it becomes relevant and has real life purpose behind it."

Beam Socials works with businesses and founders in the health, wellness and lifestyle space, shaping brand identities and translating client visions into social content that builds audience engagement.

Megan is now focused on taking on larger projects and growing the Beam Socials team, a milestone that reflects the strength and sustainability of the business model she has built from the ground up.

Entrepreneurship had always been Megan's ambition, with the foundations laid during her final year at Solent:

"I always wanted to run my own business. My final major project was on a social media agency, that was my goal,” she says. “It took me four or five years building those connections and that experience to then have the confidence to make it happen. There is nothing more rewarding than waking up and doing something that you want to do. I feel really lucky to be in a position where I wake up and genuinely feel excited about my day."

Southampton Solent University offers a range of fashion and business courses designed to equip students with the practical skills and industry knowledge needed to build careers across sectors.

With a practice-led approach embedded throughout, students graduate with real-world experience and the confidence to shape their own career paths, whether in employment or, like Megan, as entrepreneurs.

Find out more about fashion and business courses here.