1. Tell us a little bit about your business…
Pink Leopard is a boutique digital marketing agency specialising in e-commerce and lead generation.
For the past 7 years, our diverse, passionate and enthusiastic team have been on a mission to ensure our client’s message is SPOTTED in the right place, at the right time and by the right audience.
In that time, we have partnered with and built an incredible portfolio of UK and global brands that we can proudly say we’ve helped achieve a substantial return on investment.
2. How did you get into the industry?
I was invited in by my now business partner, Laura.
Laura is the founder of Pink Leopard and did a tremendous job in creating a fantastic business known for delivering exceptional results. Her reputation allowed the business to successfully grow to a point where she needed support to take it to the next level, which is where I came in…
My background is in new business development and employee engagement with Laura being an outstanding digital marketer and account manager. Together, we have been able to accelerate the growth of Pink Leopard whilst continuing to deliver excellent service to our clients.
Our complementing skill sets is why Laura asked me to partner with her. It was a complete no brainer for me to join such a great company and business partner.
3. What are the biggest opportunities in your industry?
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in digital marketing especially in the e-commerce space. People are spending time online more than ever due to the pandemic so being able to place our client’s message exactly where their audiences attention is fixed is fantastic for businesses of all sizes.
The biggest opportunity, I believe, is being able to harness the power of the newer platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest to identify new audiences and engage with customers in different ways whilst still using the more established platforms such as Facebook & Instagram. Having this mix of platforms and multiple touchpoints for consumers at our fingertips can really accelerate our clients’ growth.
4. How would you describe your leadership style?
Trusting and collaborative. For me, a business can only ever be successful if you have the right people in place and genuinely show them gratitude for the hard work they do and continuously demonstrate that they are valued and appreciated.
5. How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
We have a team of outstanding people that continue to go above and beyond for Pink Leopard. I attribute this to the fact that we are taking these people on our journey and we include them in key decisions. We welcome ideas and completely trust their judgement along with providing plenty of flexibility and autonomy in their roles to create an environment where people are willing to push the boundaries and go the extra mile.
We also have a company value of ‘Be human’. It’s important to understand that our people have lives outside of Pink Leopard and we have to be respectful of that which is why we promote a healthy work-life balance and genuinely mean it.
We also invest in our people with courses and programmes for them to continuously upskill themselves and we have an annual profit share bonus scheme for all team members so they can be directly rewarded for their contributions throughout each financial year.
6. What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
Recruitment, retention, reward & recognition and communication.
There is a theme for me about people first – if we recruit the right people, retain them by recognising and rewarding them properly along with providing consistent open and honest communication we are onto a winner.
7. How have the past 12 months been for you?
The past 12 months have been incredible for Pink Leopard because of peoples shift in shopping behaviours and habits towards online. The rise in online shopping was certainly on an upward trajectory pre-pandemic but because of the pandemic, we have been able to skyrocket client accounts which have allowed us to experience phenomenal growth.
8. Is there anything you’ve learnt during the pandemic that you’ll take forward in your business?
There has been an abundance of business opportunities which means we have been able to grow rapidly. What we’ve learnt throughout this growth phase, however, is the importance of partnering with the right businesses. Those who understand the value of digital marketing, that it is essential to partner with the right agency and finally those who are willing to invest in their own infrastructure. This is especially true for e-commerce businesses – they must get the foundations and fundamentals right to get the most benefit from a successful marketing strategy.
9. What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
We are continuing to invest in our client success framework and team to ensure we are delivering maximum results for our clients and assisting them in the further development of their marketing by introducing new digital marketing avenues to help them reach more of their target audience.
We’ve also just developed a programme aimed at helping e-commerce businesses who are starting their digital marketing journey. The programme will launch in January and is ideal for new businesses or those who require a digital marketing solution but perhaps don’t have the capital yet to invest in an agency but want a guide on how to create their own effective digital marketing strategy and successfully target the right audiences.
10. What are the highlights of your career so far?
Building the outstanding Pink Leopard team with Laura. We have a wonderful group of people and I’m so proud of everything we are achieving together.
11. What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
I’ve been guilty of spreading myself too thin at times and learnt that there is no value in being a busy fool. Instead, focusing my attention on the activities that enhance my team, build the Pink Leopard business and brand is a far more effective use of my time. I see any mistake as a learning opportunity and always look for the positive in any situation.
12. What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
In my career, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great businesses and wonderful people. A shining example of how to get the best out of your people came from my time spent at Reward Gateway, a global tech company focused on employee engagement on a mission to make the world a better place to work. Here, I had the good fortune to work under two exceptional business leaders, Louis Kwakye and Glenn Elliott.
The first piece of gold came from Louis (Sales Director) when he said “Humans aren’t capital, they’re your business.” Never a truer word said.
The second piece of advice came from a book called Build It, The Rebel Playbook written by Glenn Elliott & Debra Corey. Co-Founder of Reward Gateway, Helen Craik, quotes “Be as open with your people as you can, as early as you can. Employees are much more likely to go to bat for something they understand.” It was Glenn that relayed this at a company event and it stuck with me – by being transparent, open and honest as well as explaining why certain decisions are made builds trust and alignment and helps the team make better decisions on behalf of the business.
