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Knowing He Didn’t Belong Where He Came From..
Myles grew up in a small city in the U.K. called Peterborough, where he actually still resides to this day after buying his first property at just 19. The deposit of which was entirely sourced from one of his online stores he set up in his teens, proving that the ‘side hustle’ can create a huge foundation for the future if done correctly.
Myles KNEW from going on to get experience in the rat race, that it just wasn’t for him. The corporate ladder he was told from a young age to get in to and work his way up within, was actually a promise land which was a fairytale of what he likes to call ‘first world slavery.’ He knew that this wasn’t the life he wanted and yet most settle for, and the 9-5 only goes so far when the world’s opportunities are so abundant.
Favorite quote: ‘Noah looked like a fool – ‘til it started to rain. Keep building.’
Social accounts https://www.instagram.com/_myles__/?hl=en
So Myles, how exactly did you create your agency, and was it REALLY with nothing?
Myles Broom: To be straight to the point, yes. My agency was created from scratch with zero upfront capital. The reason being, everyone is looking for a shortcut, and if you can actually be the lone wolf and do things from nothing, you’ll realize what it really takes, understand who you are as an individual, and know in your gut that every ounce of growth and the highs, are all yours. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, yet it is now an ‘in thing’ to be an entrepreneur. This is a false mask on the face of what is actually an extremely ballsy, often heartbreaking road, and being a true entrepreneur is someone who can deal with all of that and still wake up in the morning as determined as ever. I knew I wanted this path probably since I can remember, I was building small businesses in the playground at school from my early teens – it was innate in who I was.
What’s your thoughts on young entrepreneurs seeking investment, Myles?
Asking for money early can encourage self sabotage and raising capital early, in my eyes is an excuse to not skilling up and playing the long game.
Through hard work, I have managed to create a sustainable lifestyle based business where I can travel the world, generate an income and provide value no matter where I am, to business owners worldwide. This is something that for most is a pipedream, but actually it can be done much faster than people realise, and it really does come down to passion. If you have an underlying passion, that’ll take you through the lows which is more valuable than investment because it makes you future-proof and stand the test of time. Most people in 2019 are incredibly weak emotionally, so any get out clause or easy option is the preferred option, but not the one which builds you up for the long haul. The thick skin is needed if you are to create something that lasts. I’ve failed many times, to the point of tears, but the highs after the lows are so rewarding.
I get it, when you have an idea and you are working relentlessly to make it happen, some seed capital can seem like a great idea. It allows you to recruit, get experts in, get volume, leverage.
However, this can take you away from the trenches when the early stages are CRUCIAL to seeing if you as an entrepreneur can stand the test of time, and not simply be a piggy bank. Get in, get deep, get on the front line, take out the bins, deal with fires at 2am. Why? Because that builds resilience, tenacity and the mindset to understanding what IT TAKES.
When you take capital, and you don’t fuel the business from the ground up yourself, you get taken away from your customers, the real in depth sh*t that makes the company the company, especially in the early stages when being in the dirt is what plants the seed.
So, I implore anyone who reads this to learn to fail, fail some more and grow organically.
Why? Because you can, and the toughest climbs have the best views.
How did you get your first client?
Myles Broom:
Good old cold calls. Do the stuff that most won’t because then you can obtain what most can’t.
I chose to go the route that I didn’t want to personally do to begin with, as no one loves cold calling. However, if you can present a solution to a problem and come from an angle of service, you will get a meeting. My favourite type of client to begin with was restaurants, so I would call them up as I was a big foodie and could talk their language, build rapport and book in a meeting with anyone who had a poor social presence. I found a need and served it.
I learned this skill from working within a marketing agency on the sales front, being the face of the business, meeting business owners and presenting myself in the way that I would if it were my own company.
I actually, before starting the work on my own agency I worked within a small, niche specific marketing agency and also working within marketing teams for bigger companies between doing so. This again, is a step that most would-be-entrepreneurs won’t take, as they need to be number 1 and have the ‘CEO’ title by their name on LinkedIn for street cred. For me, when playing the long game you win when you see and experience a process before trying to figure out the process on your own. I worked within companies that were successful, which managed hundreds of clients, and saw the company processes, areas of improvement and market gaps for myself, first hand. From here, you get paid to learn! It’s a win win which I encourage any young entrepreneur to do.
Want to run a marketing agency? Work for one.
Want to run a hair salon? Work for one.
Want to create a clothing line? Be the Assistant for the MD at a large retailer.
Where is your agency now? How have you managed to scale?
Myles Broom:
Right now my focus is on systemising and growth. I currently have a couple of team members in europe, and some out in the U.S. who are on the top of their game. We are servicing clients worldwide, and at this moment in time I am negotiating a multi 5-figure contract with an Indonesian pharmaceutical company. Things are exciting, and just 2 years ago my agency was just an idea which I was pondering over.
I wanted to adopt a global mindset and strategy as soon as I could, as the world is so vast. We live in a world where everyone is connected, so why restrict your talent pool to one area of a country? You’re immediately restricting the talent that you can acquire, and therefore restricting your growth.
My advice is to hire as soon as you can, because without hiring, you are a solopreneur and essentially just creating yourself another job with your own business rather than having the business work for you.
A business scales when you hire, and hire well. Most people think they cannot afford this, but my answer is ‘Can you afford NOT to hire?’ because when you don’t, your time is restricted and you cannot focus on income producing tasks which move the needle of growth. It’s never been easier to be connected to people who can help you, and you can always start with someone who is an expert in their field who will do a few hours work on your routine, mundane tasks per week freelance, (for example, my accountant) so you can focus on the wider picture. To me, that is invaluable. You need to learn to let go if you really want the business to grow.
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