Sam Fletcher is managing director at 21Digital, a digital agency specialising in lead generation and ecommerce.
The Blackburn-based agency will be celebrating 21 years in business this year, and all three of the agency’s founders – Sam Fletcher, Michael Cain and Steven Taylor -started their first businesses at the age of 21.
From lucky breaks to failures, Fletcher shares all the lessons he’s learnt across his life and career…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
Daily, it’s coffee. But my first flat white of the week from the machine in our team kitchen is always followed by our Monday huddle. That’s when the whole team gets together to share wins and successes from the previous week as well as any challenges and how they were overcome. We’ll also talk about any new accounts and strategies and share thoughts and insights across the team. It’s a great way to set everyone up for the week and ensure that we’re pulling together in the same direction to achieve the best results for clients.
What’s been your luckiest break?
I studied graphic design at Blackburn College with my co-directors, but we went our separate ways to set up other businesses. Mick and Steven set up a graphic and web design agency, while I launched a magazine aimed at young entrepreneurs. This led to a project with Blackburn Council a few years later, profiling local entrepreneurs, two of whom were Mick and Steven! We just got chatting and one thing led to another and I ended up joining the business as sales and marketing director. The rest, as they say, is history.
What’s your best failure?
Not a mistake as such. But if someone had asked me when I’d started the business aged 21, what sectors we were aiming to focus on, I wonder if I would probably have said something a bit more sexy-sounding than DIY and trades. Over time though, we have just organically developed a really strong specialism in these areas, and have delivered some absolutely phenomenal success for our clients, which has really supported our own double-digit annual growth over the last few years.
Which podcast or book would you recommend others to read and why?
I read so much marketing material at work that I don’t really read marketing books. And I have such a short commute from the Ribble Valley to our offices in Blackburn, I really don’t have much time or need for podcasts either. I find YouTube is generally a better source for the most up-to-date information and insights anyway. So in terms of books, I’ll go fiction. I recently discovered Robert Harris and would recommend Pompeii, which I just finished while on a holiday.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Mick, Steven and I all started our businesses straight out of college at 21, hence the company name. While we’ve all enjoyed the ride and are proud to be where we have got to now, we all ended up learning our lessons the hard way. So my advice for any 21-year-old starting out would actually be to get some experience working for other people before you set up on your own. Don’t be fooled by the 20-something Instagrammers with the CEO reg plates. Running a business is tough. Have some fun, meet some people and find out what you truly love doing before committing yourself to running your own business. There will be plenty of time for that. And it’s better to have learnt from others’ mistakes rather than your own before you start.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
My children are obviously a massive motivation for me. But I have to say (or should that be admit?) that a massive influence on me has been my brother. Our parents both had careers in the public sector. But it was my brother who was the first to make his mark in the commercial world. He has a great business mind (this is getting worse) and I’ve always looked to him for inspiration about how to go about things the best way (I think I need to lie down.) What’s the next question?
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I was awarded the Prince’s Trust Young Entrepreneur for the North West which was presented at a big award ceremony in London where we all got to shake hands with Prince Charles (as he was known back then).
If there was one thing you could change about your career, what would it be and why?
Genuinely, there’s nothing I would change right now. As well as doing great work for clients, a big thing for us is culture and maintaining a happy work place, and that applies to everyone, including me.
What does success look like to you?
Success to me is 21Digital having a fantastic reputation, ethos and values. We aim to achieve great results for our clients. So success for me is a strong feeling that if anyone talks about our agency, they will talk highly of us, because of the results we have delivered that have been transformative to their business.
