Ben Austin, Founder and CEO, Absolute Digital Media
Ben Austin is the Founder and CEO of the independent digital marketing agency Absolute Digital Media. Over the last thirteen years, Ben and his wife Louise have been focusing on taking the agency to a new height, now also offering digital PR as one of the primary business services alongside SEO and PPC. With a natural flair for digital marketing and a strong work ethic, Ben has remained the agencies brick and mortar, continuing to drive its success year after year. A hands-on Founder and CEO himself, Ben is keen to continue to lead the company on new ventures within the finance, pharma, gambling, and adult industries as they expand further afield.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
If in doubt, I can always be found on Twitter or LinkedIn! It’s hard to choose between the two. LinkedIn is excellent for business connections, whereas Twitter shines as more of a general ‘keep up to date with me’ platform.
Either way, you can still find me posting about how we at Absolute Digital Media are progressing, whether that be in terms of our latest initiatives, perks, or business updates alongside our client wins, case studies and commenting on other creatives work.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am the CEO and Founder of Absolute Digital Media, which I built in 2008 during the recession. Thirteen years on, we are a fully independent agency which is also now a remote-first company. I work closely alongside my wife Lou, who is also Chief Operating Officer of the agency. I am very much involved in the new business side of the agency, with Lou focusing on team culture.
We work really well together and are always bouncing ideas off one another to ultimately drive the agency forward. No day is a rest day as we’re constantly on the prowl for new developments, but we wouldn’t want it any other way! We’re both extremely passionate about what we do, leading Absolute Digital Media and its A-Team to where it is today.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
As an independent digital marketing agency, we have no boundaries and are never restricted by any form of hypothetical ‘red tape’. We have the freedom to do as we please, giving us the flexibility to adapt at any time.
Operating within such a competitive industry, this factor has been key to our success, also allowing us to drive change within the industry ourselves in terms of our award-winning culture and approach to becoming a remote agency with many following in our footsteps.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
It sounds cheesy, but do not stop until you are proud. I left school at fifteen years old, with many of my tutors saying that I would amount to nothing. I also received no support from my ‘friends’ who thought my business would fail. But I didn’t let it stop me from pursuing my dream of becoming an entrepreneur. I ignored what I was told, turning my dream into a reality, and we’re on track to turnover £3mil in revenue this financial year! If I could give any advice, it would be to pursue your dreams, get rid of naysayers and smash your goals.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Looking back at what we have achieved over the last thirteen years definitely helps me to move forward. Who knows what other success could be just around the corner!
What are you proud of in your life so far?
So many things! The business I have built from the ground upwards, the team who have continued to support one another alongside me and my wife Lou throughout the pandemic, and the culture we have been able to create and continue to develop as we continue to grow ourselves just to name a few.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Despite a lot of things moving online following Covid, there’s nothing better than sitting face-to-face with a prospect or other leaders within the industry.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
To run a successful business, you need to be resilient, determined and have patience. These skills really have given me the confidence to keep at it, to drive my business forward and to ultimately not see every hurdle as an opportunity and not an excuse to give up.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That it’s going to work out, you never really know when you become an entrepreneur how things are going to pan out regardless of the amount of research you do or the risk you decide to undertake.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I love this one! I think the marketing community is one you can take a huge amount of inspiration from. There are so many admirable figures on the likes of Twitter and LinkedIn that I catch up with regularly about their work, progression, and in general, because they have so many fantastic ideas.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Outside of work, I love spending time with my children and wife. I also “love” rugby and will take up any opportunity to watch it. Within the last year, we have also got two dogs Frankie (a sausage dog) and Ralph (a Labrador). They are our absolute pride and joy, and we spend every minute of the day playing with them and taking them for long walks in the countryside. They’re a great distraction and keep us going!
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic has been inevitable. At the start, we lost over £800k within three months, with many of our clients wanting to cut their contracts short due to the own difficulties they would have to face. It was a huge struggle for my wife and me mentally too. We knew that we could lose everything. It caused a lot of stress, but we did what we had to and are so thankful to the team for sticking by us even when things got tough for us all. Since then, we’ve grown by a further 64% which is massive!
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I don’t mentor anyone personally myself, but throughout the years, I have definitely ‘mentored’ the A-Team to some extent. I primarily carry out pitches alongside the team, and we work together to deliver the right pitch for the brand in front of us.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Go for it! There are seriously so many opportunities within marketing, digital marketing especially. If you don’t step into the role you want, the likelihood is that you will eventually cross paths with someone who can give you the opportunity to.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
It’s easy for people to give up when they don’t start to see the results they want from the get-go.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
We at Absolute Digital Media like the English Dictionary’s definition of the word “absolute”, which of course is super relevant to us and our values: “without limit, very great, or to the largest degree possible” It really drills down into our values and keeps us going.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
This is a difficult one, within digital marketing especially! From an agency perspective, most do their own thing because we’re all so different. Brand wise, I love the likes of Innocent. Their social content does amazingly well and is such an inspiration for those who want to achieve the same results!
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success is really defined by the results you achieve based on the goals you set. Goals and results shift all the time, but as long as you see some progression, I would call it a success. In terms of a lesson I have learned, I would say that it’s not all about getting where you want to be as quickly as possible. Enjoy it.