24-year-old Harvey Morton is the founder and managing director at Harvey Morton Digital.
Since launching his own business from the age of 15, he has become an award-winning digital consultant, speaker, writer and podcaster.
Based in Sheffield, he has worked with numerous companies including Santander and Alton Towers.
Now a mental health champion following his experiences with bullying at school, he shared all the lessons he has learnt…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
I got into the habit of journaling every morning and evening last year and now it’s become an important practice for me to maintain. Being self-employed means I’m often super busy with a million and one things to think about each day, and journaling allows me to clarify my thoughts and feelings and set positive affirmations each day. It also allows me to reflect on what’s going well each week and helps to reduce stress too.
What’s been your luckiest break?
My luckiest break has definitely been winning the IPSE (The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) Young Freelancer of the Year title in 2018. I started my business aged fifteen as part of a school enterprise competition and offered IT support and website development services alongside my studies, into sixth form and university.
Many thought it was a stupid idea but I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as an opportunity to channel my creativity into web design and marketing to help others after years of bullying and not being able to find anything I was good at. With the support of family, teachers and friends I’d made during the school enterprise competition, I was able to keep it going and my business went from strength to strength and kept on growing.
I’d just finished my second year at Sheffield Hallam University studying Business and Enterprise Management when I won the IPSE Award. It felt like a stamp of validation and huge seal of approval for everything I’d done to date and I used the prize money to rebrand my business to Harvey Morton Digital — a full service freelance design, social media and influencer marketing consultancy. The contacts and exposure I gained from the competition helped me to take things to the next level and turn self-employment into my full-time career. I’ll always be grateful for that.
What’s your best failure?
I’ve made lots of mistakes throughout my time in business. Two failures stand out to me when I reflect on everything I’ve learned to date – the first being that it’s important to stay in your own lane. I started so young and I always wanted what I didn’t have, I looked at others in my industry and circles as competition when really I should have focused on myself.
With social media influencing how we feel about ourselves, it’s good to remind yourself about the values that are important to you. I think comparison culture is a huge distraction. I learnt quickly that everyone is following their own plan so staying in your own lane is important. I had a lot of insecurities through sixth form and into my first year at university and was trying to create a lifestyle for myself that I wasn’t ready for and couldn’t maintain.
The biggest learning from this was that I realised not everything I was seeing from ‘friends’ or others in my networks on social media was reflective of real life, so now I always encourage others to look at who they’re surrounding themselves with and have regular social media clear outs.
Another failure I made early on was failing to take a deposit for any project that I was carrying out. When I was trying to build up a portfolio and gain experience, I didn’t protect myself and had clients disappear without making payment for the work I’d completed so I learned quickly to protect myself with a contract and deposit for the work being completed which is crucial for any freelancer. My business today is born out of overcoming challenges and bullies. And it’s born out of a passion for inspiring others to do what they love no matter what people might say.
