Put very simply, I’m a BIG thinker that loves to innovate and make a difference! I like to think out creative online ideas, bring them to fruition and push personal boundaries everyday. I really enjoy what I do, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t….
I’m highly positive and know that when I apply myself, I can achieve almost anything! I am a strong believer in continuous personal development, you are never too old to stop learning. I used to think it was all about the amount of effort you put in, but now I realise it’s more about how you think, then act. I’ve had a few successes and lots of failures but every time I fall, I dust myself off and get back up.
My work history;
I set up AccommodationforStudents.com (AFS) in 2000 after having first hand difficulty in finding student accommodation. Today the website attracts over 3 million unique visitors a year and helps students find accommodation in 16 different countries.
In 2004, I set up Conferences-UK.org.uk (part of ConferencesGroup), again with my business partner William Berry, after identifying there was a gap in the market for an ‘Expert’ Venue Finding Agency in the Conference Industry. Today the business supports over 75,000 SME’s find conference and meeting venues both in the UK and Internationally.
In 2005, I set up DirectFireplaces.com and grew it to £3.2 million turnover before exiting.
In 2007, I set up Fancy-Dress.com and over the Halloween period generated £50,000’s worth of sales of which 60% had to be refunded because we couldn’t get the product on time!! Not wishing to embark on warehousing space and carrying stock, I closed the business down and sold the domain.
In 2012, I set up VideoRecruit.com, a job portal that allowed people to create and upload Video CVs. Only one problem, I didn’t do enough research! People are very self conscious, mostly hate the sound of their own voices and especially speaking to camera! I created 100’s of guides on how to create the best video CV and kept pushing expecting the world to change but it didn’t! Lesson learnt!
In 2014, I changed VideoRecruit.com to LoveMondays.com which was a success. I downplayed the requirement for Video CV but left the functionality available for those who wished to use it. I then received a letter from Reed Global for the use of a trademark slogan ‘love mondays’ which they’s spent £24 million promoting on TV Commercials. I picked up the phone and sold the domain to them, kept all the code.
In 2016, I set up seomcr.com a boutique digital marketing agency based in Manchester which specialises in Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click, Social Media and Web Design. I really enjoy running this business and helping other companies to succeed online.
In May 2017, I bought my business partner out of AccommodationforStudents.com and am currently working extremely hard with my team on re-developing the website platform.
Simon
