Can you tell us about your business and the journey you have been on to get where you are today?
I started the business as a one-man-band independent consultant. The startup business gave me the flexibility I wanted to provide time for my (now grown up) children. As the years passed and my reputation grew, I was being asked to take on more work than I could cope with. The demand for high quality digital marketing services made it clear there was a great business opportunity. So in 2009 I created a business plan to grow the business, opened first office on King Street office in Nottingham City centre, and took on our first 3 employees. Since then the business has grown steadily, we have become a trusted Google partner, we work with clients in Nottingham as well as nationally and internationally, and we have a team of 21 digital marketing experts. It’s been a great journey!
Could you let us know a little bit about you personally?
What you did you do before you set up the business?
I was born in Philadelphia, came to the UK as an exchange student, married a local boy, and am now a UK citizen. I love living in Nottingham city centre, and it’s a great pleasure to be able to walk to work. I bring our office dog, Rosie, along with me and she is quite the star during our stroll to work. Prior to setting up Hallam, I was a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, and also held senior digital marketing management roles at BT and Capital One.
What advice would you give to anyone who considering starting up a business?
What would have really helped you to know when you started out?
I have 3 tips for anybody looking to start a business: do something you’re passionate about, do something you’re good at, and make sure you’re going to make money. You may love knitting sweaters but if you can’t knit fast enough to scale the business large enough to give you sufficient income, then you’re going to have a problem. You may be good at software development and it pays good money, but if you don’t actually enjoy doing programming, then you’re going to have a problem. And you may love graphic design, but if you’re not as good as or better than your competitors, then you’re going to have a problem. Fortunately, and probably just dumb luck, I started up a business that ticked all 3 boxes, but I encounter many fledgling businesses that haven’t covered all the angles.
What do think of Creative Quarter and the wider city of Nottingham?
What would you like to see the city do to help businesses?
Nottingham is a vibrant city with a world class arts reputation. Our offices are next door to Rock City, we’re around the corner from the Royal Centre, and we support the Nottingham Playhouse. The tram line is just a few steps away from our offices, we have access to superfast broadband, and we can walk to meet up with our local clients. Nottingham offers so much for local businesses and residents.Our team includes graduates from our two leading local universities, my colleague Ben Wood plays ice hockey for the Nottingham Lions, and I serve as a trustee of the Nottingham Castle. The Creative Quarter has great potential to act as a hub and focus for creative businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Finally, what are your hopes for your business in the next year or two? What ambitions do you have?
What would you like to achieve?
Our plan is to stay on the curve of our high growth trajectory, and we are continuing to recruit and develop the best and brightest digital marketers in Nottingham. Creativity remains key to the business, both in terms of the innovative campaigns we run for our clients as well as creativity in our own processes and methods.
