Niall Cleaver

Cupsly

Cupsly was designed as a reminder to slow down to make space for presence in a world that rarely pauses. An object of quiet confidence, crafted for those who lead with intention and dress with care because true connection doesn’t demand attention, it lives in the moments we choose to hold onto.

Founder

Social Library

Are you struggling to grow an engaging community for your business or personal brand.

Stop right there, I think I have you covered ⬇️

This is me (Niall), I'm a 22-year-old who is fascinated by growing communities in the online space. Actual communities that have meaning and purpose. 

The services we provide at Social Library 

➡️ Personal Branding (LinkedIn)

➡️ Guidance & support consulting


Drop me a message to discuss your social media strategy, review how well your current socials/posts are doing, and research how we can build your community and gain you more followers and leads.

or you can email us @

hello@sociallibrary.co.uk

Thistle Scientific Ltd - Where Customer Care Comes Naturally

Distribution Manager

Cleaver Scientific Ltd

Stores and Distribution Team Leader

Documenting the journey of crafting a timeless coffee cup brand | CEO & Founder of Cupsly

Hi, I’m Niall Cleaver, founder of Cupsly, a timeless reusable coffee cup brand launching in 2025.

But my story isn’t about a polished entrepreneur. My journey hasn’t been traditional. I left school without an English qualification, uncertain of what the future held. That failure shaped me, it forced me to think differently, fall into business, and ultimately embrace creativity, resilience, and the belief that change is possible, even when doubted.

Fast forward to today, and I’m the founder of Cupsly. The idea originated from my own frustration in my own life I couldn’t find a reusable coffee cup that matched my style. Everything felt cheap or uninspired, and I hated the idea of carrying something that didn’t reflect me. Cupsly is crafting a reusable coffee cup, elevating it into a symbol of fashion.

EVERY SIP STARTS A STORY

Do you know what I love about working for a family business?

The debates.

I know it sounds weird, but when two generations meet, there are always going to be differences. There's always the little comments like this:

- I think you should do it this way.
- I’m not sure that’s right.
- Are you sure?

But if you take a step back… this is healthy.

It’s what every successful business should be striving for. It’s these differences in opinions that keep it interesting, and it makes your business better.

Great businesses aren’t built by avoiding difficult conversations. They’re built by welcoming them, listening to them, and using them to move forward together.

So I guess I’ve got some more debates with the old man to have.

Growing Thistle Scientific, a UK manufacturer supporting researchers worldwide. Sharing real lessons in business.

There was a time when I’d do anything to avoid the sentence...

“I work for my family business.” But let me explain why this is so wrong.

There are so many of us who are fighting this thought, but we don't have to. It doesn't make you less of a successful person by doing so. Do you know why?

Because you bring your own style
Because you bring a younger perspective
Because you create the change the future needs

Nothing will ever be just handed to you.

If anything, for me, I've felt even more pressure because I want to make sure I take it to the next level. I want to actually earn it.

For ages, I thought success meant carving something out with only my name attached. But the truth is, showing up every day and choosing to improve what’s already there is just as hard, maybe harder.

And it keeps reminding me of something:

You’re not less ambitious because you step into a business.
You’re not less successful because you’re building onto something.

Anyway, just wanted to share what’s been rattling around my head lately.

POV: You decided to take your family business seriously…

Not long ago, I hated the idea of joining the family business.
I thought it meant I couldn’t build something on my own.

But here I am, happier than ever to be part of the mission, working toward what’s next. Building two things wasn’t the plan, but sometimes life guides you somewhere unexpected.

Last week was a big reminder of why this matters…

Two days spent deep in meetings, collaborating, and figuring out the steps to help even more researchers on their journeys.

I’ve got my buzz back. I’m loving it. Loved every minute with the Thistle Scientific team. There’s so much more to come.

P.S. I've never wanted to share this side of my journey, but it's the real side I want to share more of.

If you looked at my LinkedIn, you’d think all I do is build brands.

But behind the scenes, we’re helping cure cancer.

It's incredible to be part of this team, helping to keep the entire world safe. It feels pretty weird to finally open up about this side of my life, but I'm proud of it.

We’re designing and developing products that help researchers cure cancer, create new medicines, and tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.

I don't know why I've never really spoken about this before, but I'm excited to share more about it and how we continue to help fight some of the world's biggest battles in 2026.

People are getting building in public wrong.

I've seen it happen multiple times...

As someone who has shared a lot of my journey on this platform, and heard everyone telling me to share more and more, but I want to touch on something...

Building in public doesn't mean:

Sharing everything.
Doing it to tick a box.
Doing it because of pressure.

Sharing in public is about strategy.

There's so much pressure for everyone to keep posting and creating content that might not necessarily work for them, but because everyone is telling them to continue to do it.

That's what happened to me, and I fell out of love with it. Losing motivation and jsut doing it out of pure discipline, but I want to go back and create the content I used to love creating, the raw, unfiltered side of my life.

SO WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT

Get other people out of your head and do what's right for you.

It took me almost two years to figure this out…

Rushing and moving quickly are not the same thing.

For a long time, I mixed the two. Everyone said, “Move fast,” but no one explained how. It's been one of the biggest lessons I've learned in business.

I presumed this meant:

Don’t think, just act
Make decisions on the spot

Turns out, that’s how you end up rushing.

And I made stupid mistakes while building Cupsly because of it. Rushing design processes and manufacturing just made everything longer.

But now, only a couple of years later, I've finally broken out of this cycle, and honestly, it’s changed everything. The old saying “sleep on it” couldn't be truer once I started doing it.

Looking back, I can see decisions I rushed that I’d absolutely make differently now. But that’s how you learn. Give yourself breathing room. Process all the information before you move. Some decisions you can’t undo.

Business is fast-paced, yes, but...

It’s also a game of patience. The bigger the decision, the more time it deserves.

Think about risk. Think about impact. Think about the possibility.

Everyone loves to talk about career advice... but this has been by far the most impactful for me.

Curiosity doesn’t make you inexperienced.

When I joined Thistle Scientific, my first instinct was to worry about what I didn’t know: the jargon, the lab protocols, the decades of expertise my colleagues bring to the table.

But every time I asked a “basic” question or admitted I didn’t understand something, I noticed something powerful. It started a conversation for change.

Over time, I’ve realised curiosity belongs everywhere, especially in business.

Because the people who ask why are often the ones who move everyone forward.

You don’t need decades of experience to make an impact:

Sometimes asking, “Why do we do it this way?” opens the door to innovation.
Sometimes being the learner means spotting what others take for granted.
Sometimes, trying things differently brings the best results of all.

A reminder I carry with me every day:

Curiosity belongs in every business.

humanworks

At humanworks, we do b2b marketing differently. Bland, boring and blah blah blah B2B isn’t for us. We’re storytelling specialists, working with forward-thinking, growth-minded businesses to put the human connection at the heart of B2B marketing.

What we offer:

Content strategy
• Editorial
• Value proposition development
• Content audits

Brand awareness
• Thought leadership campaigns
• Industry reports
• SEO Blog articles

Lead generation
• E-books
• Whitepapers
• Email communications
• Paid ads

Social media
• Social media strategy
• Content creation and ghostwriting
• LinkedIn content
• Company page management

Communications & copy
• PR
• Website content & SEO
• Landing pages
• Case studies
• Employee engagement

Video & design
• Brand design
• Website design
• Video content
• Infographics

Cosmo Creative Content

If you're a b2b marketing director in financial services, insurance, SaaS and sustainability - we work with you to deliver the thought leadership strategy and content your in-house teams can't.

Content Director

BBC Radio 5 Live

-	Senior leader of the 5 live Breakfast programme and the wider 5 live network leadership team.
-	Leading a team of 20 producers creating a network breakfast radio programme 7 days a week. Responsibility for team performance and welfare.
-	Overseeing the on-air team, managing key talent and setting the editorial direction of the programme. 
-	Leading the commissioning of the programme’s digital and social content   

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

-	Leading the recent re-development of the 5 live Breakfast programme: creating a modern radio programme with the audience at its heart. Developing new formats and a programme clock to better showcase presenter talent – driving increased engagement and audience appreciation.
-	Leading 5 live Breakfast’s acclaimed Brexit coverage: developing formats like #BrexitBarometer (a simultaneous discussion format, on-air and online). Driving significant social media traffic.
-	Leading 5 Live Breakfast’s 2019 Election coverage, including creating record levels of engagement with the 5 Live Leader Your Calls, broadcast simultaneously on the BBC News Channel (the leaders of the main political parties taking listeners’ questions). Demonstrating an ability to lead high-profile projects with multiple stakeholders.

STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTS:
-	Leading a 5 live strategy to improve our reach to younger audiences. Collaborating with multiple stake-holders and creating a blueprint that has had a real impact: 25-44 measure up on Rajars Q4 2019, significantly more live listening through BBC Sounds for U35s (Q3 vs Q4 2019)
-	Leading the BBC's 50:50 project to encourage greater diversity of voices on-air.
-	Currently leading on a project to develop a unique strategy to increase live listening through BBC Sounds (Q1 2020). Working across the BBC Radio division, engaging and managing multiple stakeholders. Demonstrating an ability to identify problems across the division and bring a team together to tackle them.

Assistant Editor

Senior Broadcast Journalist

Broadcast Journalist

THEN → BBC Journalist For 17 Years NOW → Building a B2B Content Agency HOW → Transforming Your Business Into a Thought Leader

At humanworks, we do b2b marketing differently. Bland, boring and blah blah blah B2B isn’t for us. We’re storytelling specialists, working with forward-thinking, growth-minded businesses to put the human connection at the heart of B2B marketing.

What we offer:

Content strategy
• Editorial
• Value proposition development
• Content audits

Brand awareness
• Thought leadership campaigns
• Industry reports
• SEO Blog articles

Lead generation
• E-books
• Whitepapers
• Email communications
• Paid ads

Social media
• Social media strategy
• Content creation and ghostwriting
• LinkedIn content
• Company page management

Communications & copy
• PR
• Website content & SEO
• Landing pages
• Case studies
• Employee engagement

Video & design
• Brand design
• Website design
• Video content
• Infographics

_________________________________

Why choose humanworks?

We don’t think business to business; we think human to human.

That means crafting content and communications that create genuine, personal, and authentic connections between your business and your customers.

We’re a new type of marketing agency. We help you cut through the blah, blah, blah and give your business a compelling story that will help you stand out from the crowd, build your brand, and grow your bottom line.

• We’re storytellers
• We’re thinkers & doers
• We’re humans, not robots

Our content doesn’t just click with your audience; it connects your business to new leads and converts them into customers.

That’s the power of human-to-human marketing. It just works.

__________________________

Our founder:

I’m Cosmo Shield, founder of humanworks. Before you ask, yes, that’s my real name! I was a BBC journalist for almost two decades before I realised I was sick of telling people bad news every day and wanted to help a generation of businesses tell their stories in a more compelling way.

That’s the passion the humanworks team brings to every client and project. I’d love to hear more about your business.

Email
cosmo@human-works.co.uk

Website:
www.human-works.co.uk

taplio

The Battle

Niall Cleaver

Cosmo Shield ♾

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNiall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Niall Cleaver

Cosmo Shield ♾

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Niall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNiall Cleaver's LinkedIn Performance