Alex Craven - ex-Founder, Bloom Agency

Leeds Business Podcast

In this week's episode we speak to Alex Craven, ex-Founder of Bloom Agency and now CEO and co-founder of The Data City.

Alex tells us about the launch of his first business, Bloom Agency, one of the first digital businesses in the UK, ​w​hat Alex describes as a mind-bending receivership meeting​, getting rid of 385/400 clients​ and the huge growth triggered by 2008 financial crash​.

INTRODUCING ALEX CRAVEN

Alex founded a digital agency and MarTech company in 1999 and sold in 2016, Alex has been pioneering applications of new technology throughout his career and is now CEO of The Data City, a tech start-up that uses machine learning to map the global economy for government and the private sector. Alex is active member of the digital / tech community, regularly speaking at events, judging awards, providing Non-exec advisory services and is also the Chair of web 3 start up ‘Pooldata.io’. Alex is a champion of diversity and inclusion and is passionate about raising awareness around neurodiversity and Entrepreneurship.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00:00] Where the idea for a digital agency came from

[00:03:00] A mind-bending receivership meeting

[00:09:30] The benefits of a Chairperson in your business and the importance of accountability

[00:14:00] Getting rid of most of our clients

[00:18:00] Scaling the business (through innovation)

[00:24:00] The issues related to setting up an office in Australia

KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS

• You need the benefit of grey hair in your business
• Going that extra mile will win you the business
• Surround yourself with a strong management team

BEST MOMENTS

“I assume you’re not a man of means…”

“We were so early in social media that we went to an awards ceremony and were in a category of one.. And won”

“We got rid of 385 of 400 of our clients”

“The 2008 financial crash was really good for us; it doubled our turnover”

“We won the business because we went the extra mile”

VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU

Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com

Website: https://thedatacity.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-craven-17b1441/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-data-city/

Twitter (personal): https://twitter.com/AlexCraven

Twitter (business): https://twitter.com/TheDataCity

Shout out tags: https://wac.rocks/

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ABOUT YOUR HOST

Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.

As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.

As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.

Phil has appeared as a guest on over 60 podcasts, webinars and interviews, from around the whole globe, talking on a variety of business subjects. You can view them all at https://philfraser.co.uk/watch-hear-phil/.

LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST

Bloom Agency, Jaywing, The Data City, Leeds, Paul Connell, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,

Email: [e-mail]