Tell us about yourself?
With over 12 years of digital marketing experience, I run a conversion-focused growth marketing agency specialising in landing page optimisation and marketing automation. I’m also the host of a top-rated podcast called Growth Marketing Toolbox, and I write a newsletter read by over 5,000 marketers called GrowthMarketer Weekly.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
People still have this mindset that every startup idea is a good idea if you throw enough money at it. That’s just not true. There are so many startups with bad ideas that burn through cash and fizzle out. You need to first prove your idea has merit before investing your own money or VC money.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
Specialise in something! I started—much like every marketer—as a generalist. It took me several years to discover what I wanted to specialise in, but ever since doing so, things have taken off.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
I try to give away as much free info as possible. I’m not out to just sell services and courses. While sure, that’s nice, it’s also important to give back to the marketing community and help others level up their skills. I’ve shared 99% of everything I know about marketing over the years through a variety of channels, from podcasts, newsletters, videos, and more.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
Use a project management system. My personal favorite is Asana. Without it, our agency would grind to a halt. It’s how we track everything that needs to get done.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
I’ve always had an interest in marketing, but I realised that there wasn’t a lot of high-quality free training available, specifically around growth marketing. That’s why I created GrowthMarketer, and it quickly became a collection of free podcasts, newsletters, and more, all focused on helping you become the smartest marketer in the room.
Where do you see your business in five years?
I’m focusing full-time on creating content at GrowthMarketer, with the agency side of my business running without me needing to be involved 24/7. I’d like to focus more on creating mini-courses, more YouTube content, and more live events, all specifically for marketers.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
The challenge has always been in finding time to create content while also managing a busy agency and lots of client work.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
We helped a law firm increase their conversions by over 250% simply by redesigning one of their landing pages and replacing a boring form with a dynamic and engaging chatbot.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
I’ve been doing marketing at a professional level for over 12 years now, so I feel that most people know that I know my stuff. While I do have a sales background, I don’t consider myself to be a salesperson, and I never go for the hard sell. If people want to work with us, that’s great! Otherwise, I always try to leave each prospect with some tips and insights that will help them no matter what they decide to do.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Prove your idea before going all-in. It doesn’t take much to create an MVP, run some traffic, and figure out if you have a potential winner on your hands or not. Feedback is everything early on.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
Professionally, I hope I’m able to continue to keep up with the latest marketing trends and educate more people who want to level up their marketing skills. Personally, I hope my son sees what I do and decides to give entrepreneurship a try for himself someday too.
