Read on Twitter
Your 20s should be about taking risks.
In 2017 I handed my notice in at my comfortable Content Marketing Manager job to setup @BrewSoc
Here’s what happened and what I learned from it (Thread)
In 2017 I handed my notice in at my comfortable Content Marketing Manager job to setup @BrewSoc
Here’s what happened and what I learned from it (Thread)
The Idea: I thought link building was getting saturated, my team of two was finding it hard to compete for earned media space. More sites were requesting payments. I was reporting on more than just links and these sites were driving lots of traffic and sales
I took the same Content Marketing process but didn’t KPI from an SEO point of view. I recruited 200 social influencers & sites in sport and travel to be part of my Brew Social Network. They had a combined social following of over 25 million. They would be paid to amplify content
On my first day I went to London & had pitches at the media agents of major European footballers & at sports content publisher @Dugout
I was unprepared but they went well overall. 2 weeks later I worked with @CommonGoalOrg on a cool project https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/digital/2017/10/juan-mata%E2%80%99s-common-goal-teams-brew-social
I was unprepared but they went well overall. 2 weeks later I worked with @CommonGoalOrg on a cool project https://www.prolificnorth.co.uk/news/digital/2017/10/juan-mata%E2%80%99s-common-goal-teams-brew-social
After my first few weeks. I thought ‘This is going to be easy’. I’m already getting pitches and bits of work. I’d invested max £1k.
4 months later, nothing, no clients, getting by on freelance work. I’d only just got a bank account setup thanks to a massive delay
4 months later, nothing, no clients, getting by on freelance work. I’d only just got a bank account setup thanks to a massive delay
After a year I had generalised the service back to Content Marketing and paid social for all sectors. I picked up a few old clients from my old agency.
I was paying myself £1k a month and the stress was getting real
I was paying myself £1k a month and the stress was getting real
I was still getting pitches. I had big money pitches at parts of SEGA and Google. Mainly through determination and account based marketing. I needed to win won and I didn’t.
I was working on them in my dressing gown at home. I was small time & I couldn’t hide that in the pitch
I was working on them in my dressing gown at home. I was small time & I couldn’t hide that in the pitch
After just over a year I was in a place where most people would feel safe to launch. I was projected around £6-7k in revenue a month, few interns, an office, minimal outgoings. I had £17k in the company account but my personal finances had been hammered.
Then I won a fairly big one, from a £800m turnover company. A lead 12 months in the making. I cried when they signed off.
6 weeks later they had to make redundancies, they reduced then pulled spend. I was knackered and it broke me, I took a contract job shortly after.
6 weeks later they had to make redundancies, they reduced then pulled spend. I was knackered and it broke me, I took a contract job shortly after.
These were risks worth taking. I had no financial commitments and I put myself to the test, I was very close to it succeeding.
I wouldn’t have got a Head of Digital job at 30 without taking that risk and I wouldn’t be as prepared for @riseatseven without that experience either.
I wouldn’t have got a Head of Digital job at 30 without taking that risk and I wouldn’t be as prepared for @riseatseven without that experience either.
