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Where did it all start? Well, I was ‘messing about‘ online with since I got my first PC back in 1998 due to a college scholarship. This interest eventually led me to earning a degree in Internet Engineering. The course was a blend of computer science, website projects, and even building a search engine. 

Several weeks after graduation, I landed a job at the same place where I had worked during a summer internship programme. I had successfully revamped their website during my placement a year previously. Here, I taught myself how to construct websites using databases, PHP, and generate leads online through organic and paid search. 

This was a time when you could easily have multiple websites targeting different products and take over the real estate on both the paid and organic search engine listings. We would get calls from the same customer via unique tracked phone numbers located on different websites. It was an exciting time, and it worked very well. 

Being employed in a small, family-run organisation helped me to understand the needs of such a company and the requirement to wear many hats. Since then, I have worked in multiple digital marketing positions for various agencies and start-ups. But I never lost my curiosity to learn new things and keep up with the latest trends.

I’ve worked as an affiliate marketer predominantly using paid search, one year making over £500k profit alone and running award-winning campaigns. I’ve worked agency-side as a head of SEO, managing and training a team and working on a variety of clients. The agency is still going strong, and I am proud that I had some small part in growing this company from 4 to 50+ in the seven years whilst I was there. 

I’ve taken my SEO skills in-house in roles since at start-ups, working on some projects which are still going strong and others which showed promise but ultimately failed. I’ve been involved in acquisitions both on the selling and the buying side.

Without any formal marketing training, I completed a CIM Diploma in Professional Marketing in 2016. The year-long course included classes, coursework, and lengthy written exams, and it was more challenging than I expected. However, it was worth it, and the focus on marketing models, concepts, research, and planning has made me a better marketer. 

For the past five years, part of my roles has been planning, developing, and maintaining CRM and marketing automation systems, specifically using Pipedrive and Zapier. These systems integrate the sales process with the lead generation process. I have developed a deep interest in utilising no-code solutions paired with AI to aid in efficiency and conversion for sales teams. 

I started Greywood Digital as I kept getting asked if I could help by friends, family and colleagues on their web projects. I also created some of my projects as a way to test theories and keep up-to-date with website technologies. Through Greywood Digital I’ve worked with small businesses directly as well as supporting an SEO agency with several of their clients as a contractor. 

With a new addition to the family expected in early 2024, I developed a plan to leave my full-time job at a mortgage lender and become self-employed. I want to offer real value to small to medium businesses while maintaining a work/life balance with a young family.