Social and Digital Content Writer, Lauren O’Connor, speaks with SponsoredLinX Founder & CEO, Internet Marketing Pioneer and author of the best-selling book, Don’t Guess, Ben Bradshaw, to mark the tremendous SponsoredLinX 10 Year Anniversary milestone!
Celebrating the past. Inspiring the future.
I remember my first work anniversary; I was 15 years old and I had been casually working in the local surf shop for one year. I received two tickets to the cinema and a card from my employers thanking me for my service. I can remember my astonishment that I should receive thanks from the people who had given me a job, but in time I came to understand that the practice of celebrating business and work anniversaries is just as equally important as celebrating personal ones. My days of working in surf shops are long gone. Now, as the resident content writer for SponsoredLinX, I have the pleasure of partaking in the celebrations of another work anniversary. Yes, SponsoredLinX this year celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary! Such a milestone is very rarely seen nowadays and such an event deserves the time and recognition of the occasion, and it certainly wouldn’t have been capable without Ben Bradshaw.
I had the opportunity to interview Ben Bradshaw on this momentous occasion to find out what it really means to celebrate a 10 Year Anniversary in the realm of digital marketing.
Milestones are important and as Ben testifies, as the CEO of SponsoredLinX and as an entrepreneur, taking the time out to reflect and praise your efforts is important. In particular, 2016 is an important year for Ben as it marks ten years in business as the leader of what has grown into Australia’s leading online marketing agency. Ben and I talked about the growth the company has experienced year after year, which upon reflection was inevitable. He says that, “SponsoredLinX has reached the top of our business category. I wanted it to be nothing short of a massive success and after reaching ten years in business, it finally feels like we’ve arrived”.
Like most businesses which have reached important milestones, nothing is ever achieved purely on one person’s efforts. There are always those people who have stuck with the business through thick and thin, and Ben firmly believes in surrounding himself with people he can trust and who he knows he can rely on. For Ben, this has largely been those closest to him, including his partner, Shannah. From the get go there has been all the trials and tribulations which come with running your own business, and as Ben states, “there are honestly no shortcuts to building a business. Over the last ten years I’ve worked extremely long days, had countless sleepless nights and even slept under my desk. I’ve experienced some major setbacks, but I’ve also had some major wins”.
The SponsoredLinX 10 Year Anniversary is the perfect opportunity to thank those who have helped grow Australia’s leading digital marketing agency, and it all begins and ends with the SponsoredLinX clients. As Ben says, “they’re the reason why we’re here and they’re the reason why we continue to strive to be the best in the market. Reaching ten years in business and growing to become Australia’s number one online marketing agency for SMEs is a culmination of night’s not slept, immeasurable setbacks, hard work, and the support of key people. I feel very fortunate for the success SponsoredLinX has had over the last ten years, but it hasn’t been easy”.
Indeed, when Ben first started out, people were entirely unaware that it was even possible to advertise on Google. With Google search available for anyone who had an internet connection, Google AdWords created an enormous opportunity to help small to medium businesses advertise online, and so the genesis of SponsoredLinX came to light. Today, you’re incredibly hard pressed to find an online marketing firm which has successfully been running for ten years, which is testament to Ben’s ability to passionately believe in what his business does for his clients.
You will have heard the saying, ‘Business is business’ which implies that personal feelings and sentiment mustn’t enter the equation. Ben believes that this could not be further from the truth. Through rigorous trial and error, Ben developed a business formula which can be adapted to suit the needs of any business model. It is this formula which forms the framework of the SponsoredLinX ethos and all of the work we carry out for our clients. It is Traffic > Conversion > Retention. “Building SponsoredLinX around this business model and the values it encompasses is the exact reason why we have a no contract business standard. It’s ethical and honest and makes SponsoredLinX 100% accountable for the results we deliver to our clients”, Ben explains.
At the end of the day, people deal with people, and Ben’s deeply rooted understanding of this is the exact reason why SponsoredLinX will stand the test of time.
