Richard Santoro, 45, grew up in Ealing, but decided to relocate to China in 2004.

Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the loss of his job, he has moved back to Ealing, along with his Chinese wife and two kids.

Santoro, who worked for company giants such as Microsoft and Dow Jones during his time in Shanghai and Hong Kong, was struggling to find a job in London upon his return in March.

In May he decided to take the leap of faith and start his own digital marketing company called Social Media Authority .

"It was a tricky few months, going from a well paid job in Hong Kong, to having to live with my relatives in Ealing", Santoro told Nub News.

Although his company has gradually started getting more and more clients, the 45-year-old is dismayed with the lack of support from both the national and local government for new businesses.

He said: "If I had started my company three months earlier, I would be entitled to all this financial support in order to deal with the economic impact of COVID-19, but because I started after the pandemic was in full flow, I'm not entitled to anything.

"I tried contacting both the government and Ealing Council, but there was zero guidance and no support coming my way, it was really disheartening.

"I eventually got my first client through a family connection and it's slowly building on from there through word of mouth.

"I've spent an incredible amount of hours networking in order to get clients and now I'm in a position where I can hire around six freelancers to work for me consistently every month."

Social Media Authority helps businesses that are in need of a transformation in order to get an online presence and attract customers online.

Santoro said: "Especially now that we're in a second lockdown, businesses need a good online presence in order to attract customers, otherwise they're going to go under.

"That's what we're here for, to make sure these businesses flourish."