In May 2022, Andrew Curtin launched a niche B2B media startup covering the UK construction industry. He had no audience, no formal business structure, and no clear roadmap for growth.
But within weeks, something unexpected happened: one of the world’s largest crane manufacturers handed him a $10,000 sponsorship.
“I just think they felt sorry for me,” Curtin joked.
That early vote of confidence—however charitable it may have been—gave Curtin the runway he needed to hire his first editor. Two years later, his company, Construction Wave, has grown into one of the most prominent media brands in its niche, generating revenue through high-ticket sponsorships and launching its own industry conference.
This is the story of how Curtin went from freelance marketer to media founder—and how he built a profitable B2B outlet in one of the least digitally native industries in the world.
From Advertising to Construction Consulting
Curtin didn’t begin his career in media—or even construction.
After earning a master’s degree in marketing, he started out in advertising, first working in-house for Kerrygold in the U.S. before joining a London-based ad agency. Like many agency employees, he quickly found himself burned out by long hours and low margins.
“It sounds sexier than what it is,” he said of agency life.
At the same time, he had a unique connection to construction. Growing up in Ireland, he spent summers working for his father, a small contractor.
“Dad just threw me in with the toughest guys and just said, learn your trade,” he recalled.
That background—and his social ties through Irish sports leagues in London—eventually opened the door to freelance work with construction firms.
He began by creating tender presentations and simple websites for contractors who had little to no digital presence.
“They thought I was a genius coming in and doing a five-page website,” he said.
Charging around £2,000 per project, Curtin gradually built a steady freelance income—eventually earning about £4,000 per month. That was enough to convince him to quit his agency job and go out on his own.
From 2018 through early 2022, he worked full-time as a freelance marketing consultant for UK construction companies.
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