SXM
SXM is the personal creative agency of Tom Bannister, a New York-based creative director providing influencer marketing and digital strategy consulting to brands and agencies, and home to Tom's Perfect 10, a creator-led granola brand sold at Whole Foods and Foxtrot.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SXM does
SXM is a New York-based creative agency and branded entertainment studio operating as the personal consultancy and portfolio entity of creative director Tom Bannister. The firm was founded in 2008 and operates with a small headcount (firmographics indicates 11-50, though management-team evidence points to a solo-practitioner structure). The business has two distinct revenue streams. The first is B2B advertising and influencer marketing consulting for agencies and brands, offering creative direction, branding, copywriting, content production, and data-informed social strategy. Named past clients include IKEA, Eli Lilly, and Disney, and Bannister previously served as Creative Director at Billion Dollar Boy when the agency won Adweek Influencer Agency Of The Year. His work has earned a Silver Lion at Cannes, recognition at The Webbys, Influencer Marketing Awards, and The Drum Chip Shop Awards.
The second revenue stream is Tom's Perfect 10, a creator-led granola sub-brand that Bannister launched on Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It began as a 20,000-name waitlist, sold directly to consumers online via monthly flavor drops across Instagram and TikTok, and reportedly moved 'millions of bags' before transitioning into physical retail at Whole Foods and Foxtrot by 2021. New York Magazine has described the product as 'the granola of our times.' The company has no proprietary technology platform, no patents or trademarks disclosed, no AI/ML capabilities, no external funding, and no disclosed pricing structure; the website functions as a Squarespace-built portfolio with a contact form, a downloadable resume, and a cart page. There is no evidence of a formal corporate structure beyond the founder-owned entity, no cap table, and no external investors.
SXM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SXM
- Legal name
- SXM
- Website
- https://sxm.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SXM is the personal creative agency of Tom Bannister, a New York-based creative director providing influencer marketing and digital strategy consulting to brands and agencies, and home to Tom's Perfect 10, a creator-led granola brand sold at Whole Foods and Foxtrot.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SXM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising and Influencer Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI)
Keywords
Where SXM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
SXM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising and Influencer Consulting: B2B consulting services for agencies and brands navigating digital landscape and creator economy. Revenue derived from professional service fees.
- CPG Product Sales (Tom's Perfect 10): Tom's Perfect 10 granola brand generates product sales revenue through retail (Whole Foods, Foxtrot) and potentially direct-to-consumer online channels.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
SXM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SXM is the personal creative consultancy of Tom Bannister, delivering advertising and influencer marketing services (creative direction, branding, copywriting, content production) to agencies and brands. It also houses Tom's Perfect 10, a creator-led granola CPG brand launched on Instagram and now distributed through retail channels including Whole Foods and Foxtrot.
Product overview
SXM is a personal portfolio and consulting services website for Tom Bannister, a creative director and advertising executive. The offering consists of advertising and influencer marketing services combined with Tom's Perfect 10, a CPG granola brand that originated as a direct-to-consumer Instagram business and expanded into retail. The portfolio site also includes contact and cart functionality.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tom's Perfect 10: A granola brand launched on Instagram during the pandemic, transitioned from online-only to retail (Whole Foods, Foxtrot), described by New York Magazine as 'the granola of our times'
Products and services
- Advertising + Influencer Services B2B creative direction, branding, influencer marketing strategy, copywriting, and content production services sold to agencies and consumer brands navigating the digital landscape and creator economy.
- Tom's Perfect 10 Creator-led granola CPG brand founded by Tom Bannister, launched via Instagram and transitioned from online-only DTC sales to physical retail distribution at Whole Foods and Foxtrot; recognized by New York Magazine as 'the granola of our times.'
Quantifiable outcome
- 20,000 name waitlist for Tom's Perfect 10 at launch
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SXM
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SXM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SXM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SXM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Billion Dollar Boy: Billion Dollar Boy is the influencer marketing agency where Tom Bannister served as Creative Director and which won Adweek Influencer Agency of the Year. It is the most direct comparably-positioned peer, offering the same creator-economy strategy and content services SXM provides.
- Magic Spoon: Magic Spoon is a venture-backed, social-media-native CPG brand that built a category position through creator-driven marketing and DTC before expanding to retail. It is a direct peer to Tom's Perfect 10 as a creator-led, Instagram-launched CPG that scaled through social into traditional retail.
- Movement Strategy: Movement Strategy is an award-winning social and influencer marketing agency serving major brands. It is a direct peer competing for the same agency-side and brand-side social/influencer engagements SXM pursues.
- Purely Elizabeth: Purely Elizabeth is a premium granola and snack brand sold at Whole Foods and other natural retailers. It is the most direct CPG competitor to Tom's Perfect 10 in the same shelf set, category, and price positioning.
- Asylum Creative: Asylum Creative is a boutique creative and influencer agency with similar service scope (creative direction, branded content, influencer strategy) and a comparable enterprise client roster. It represents the typical small, talent-led creative shop SXM competes with for brand and agency engagements.
Broad incumbents
- CreatorIQ: CreatorIQ is an established, venture-backed influencer marketing platform serving enterprise brands. It competes indirectly with SXM by enabling in-house teams to run creator campaigns at scale, representing the platform-driven alternative to boutique creator consultancies.
- Anomaly: Anomaly is an independent creative and brand consultancy known for entrepreneurial client engagement models and Cannes-recognized work. It mirrors SXM's positioning of combining brand strategy, creative direction, and product-building expertise.
- Mother NYC: Mother is a globally recognized independent creative agency known for brand-defining campaigns and Cannes-level work. It represents the established, award-winning creative agency benchmark against which SXM's creative pedigree is positioned.
- Droga5: Droga5 is a major independent creative agency (Accenture Song) with deep enterprise brand relationships and Cannes recognition. It represents the scaled creative-agency incumbent competing for the same enterprise client budgets SXM targets.
Others
- Influencer Marketing Hub: Influencer Marketing Hub is an industry media and advisory resource covering the creator economy. It serves as an ecosystem peer that publishes the Influencer Marketing Awards (an award category SXM has won) and influences buyer education in SXM's target market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
SXM social profiles
Digital presenceSXM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SXM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SXM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SXM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SXM
What does SXM do?
SXM is the personal creative consultancy of Tom Bannister, delivering advertising and influencer marketing services (creative direction, branding, copywriting, content production) to agencies and brands. It also houses Tom's Perfect 10, a creator-led granola CPG brand launched on Instagram and now distributed through retail channels including Whole Foods and Foxtrot.
Is SXM a public or private company?
SXM is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SXM founded?
SXM was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SXM based?
SXM is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does SXM make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising and Influencer Consulting is the primary driver. The others are CPG Product Sales (Tom's Perfect 10).
Who are SXM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Billion Dollar Boy, Magic Spoon, Movement Strategy, Purely Elizabeth and Asylum Creative. Broad incumbents are CreatorIQ, Anomaly, Mother NYC and Droga5. Influencer Marketing Hub is listed as an others.
Does SXM have an API?
No public API is recorded for SXM.
What industry is SXM in?
SXM's product category is Advertising and Influencer Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAI, Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design. Its NAICS code is 541430 and its SIC code is 7311.