In the past we used to advertise broad messages to broad audiences on billboards and newspaper spreads but now, thanks to the advent of PPC (pay-per-click) and social advertising, we’re able to advertise specific messages to specific audiences to achieve a much greater impact - which is where I come in. I put brands and businesses directly in front of their target audience with highly targeted paid advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat in order to drive sales and leads.

About me:

I’m a super ambitious, motivated and dedicated business leader passionate about all things business and marketing. I get a kick out of problem solving, thinking outside the box, learning new things and creating value for businesses. I’m also an advocate for remote working, a healthier planet and a happy balance.

Whilst I have a knowledge and interest in all things marketing, I chose to specialise in PPC advertising because I see it as The Business End of Digital Marketing. So I founded Vagabond Digital to help businesses and brands put their products and services directly in front of their target audience. We use a combination of automation and brain power to successfully drive sales and leads into businesses of all sectors. We’re a little different in that we’re a remote business, which means we have neither office locations nor restrictions. This enables us to work with the most impressive talent around the globe, offer flexibility to our staff and improve communication channels - all the while delivering a premium service to our clients.

We offer flat rate fees, great value for money and a high level of expertise.

I’d love to hear from anyone interested in marketing, collaborating or growing their business. Drop me a message and we can arrange a virtual coffee chat - tj@vagabonddigital.co.uk

The books I recommend most often: 

Shoe Dog, Tools of Titans, Think and Grow Rich and for some fiction - East of Eden.

TJ Lee

Thumbstoppers

Thumbstoppers make content that speaks authentically to Millennial and Gen-Z customers.

A collective of strategists, scientists, creators and influencers with over 16 years career experience spanning the evolution of digital marketing to social media and content production. We watched global brands shoehorn traditional branded content into social feeds with huge budgets and terrible engagement rates and knew there was a better way.

We help our clients weave their brand identity into popular culture through content their customers care about. We are proud to deliver authentic, emotional, social engagement for the world's bravest brands.

N.E.D. Advisor 

Leafe Consultancy

• Transformed multiple digital marketing and creative agencies, driving EBITDA growth from £20k to £250k in just 12 months.
• Doubled turnover and profit for another agency, while securing 100% retainer clients for a third.
• Leveraged 35 years of agency expertise to mentor and guide businesses to success, achieving remarkable results.

Managing Director

Moscow for Pleasure

Guitarist and keyboards

"We are old and we are new.  When you get to a certain age, you seem to become invisible. The high street stops catering for you, and the music industry stops providing music for you.  It’s always nice to watch pretty young kids singing about teenage angst and rebellion but their life experience lacks the depth and realism that years of 9 to 5 brings to most of our lives. That’s where we think we come in.  We aim our music at the 30 upwards bracket just by living in the same world that they do.

Our lyrics are succinct and have bite. We relate to the market that still buys recorded music, still buys downloaded music and goes to concerts and has spending power.  Moscow for Pleasure is a five piece with a big sound. A defined melodic groove coming from tight bass and drums overlaid with crunching guitar and keyboards, supporting the powerful yet subtle voice of Keiran Moses. 

Rather uniquely, we played together in our early twenties and exactly the same line-up has now reformed with new material.  We were not musically mature back then and our lyrics lacked depth – not everyone matures at the same speed.  Since then, each member has seen life as it is and the roller coaster ride endured makes us who and what we are.  We're not wet-nosed puppies, we're experienced and it takes a lot to impress us, so we work hard and know what to listen to and what to discard. We may not be long in the music business but we're seasoned in life.

The band has worked with a very impressive musical support team including two well-known and highly successful music producers, Stuart Colman and Stephen Harris.  Between them they have worked with acts as diverse as Santana, U2, Kodaline and Kaiser Chiefs to The Shadows, Shakin' Stevens to Kate Bush.  Stuart is immersed in the music business in New York whilst Stephen works from his home in rural East Yorkshire where he mixes and produces for all the world's major record labels and has won a number of Grammys.

Guitarist

Strawberry

Brand Ambassador

Having run a VERY successful, always profitable and leading Creative Marketing agency in Yorkshire for the last 27 years, I’ve built up a detailed knowledge of numerous industry types.

I’m very experienced in all forms of marketing and digital is a speciality.

It’s my mission to support the boards, the management team and the shareholders of businesses across The UK and Europe.

I focus on what the businesses are good at, really good at and what maybe they shouldn’t be doing.

I help build value through helping the business leaders focus on what’s REALLY important. This approach builds long term, sustainable businesses that are profitable, have good and happy clients and customers, a repeatable sales funnel and a workforce that is dedicated to the organisation and its strategy

I only like to work with organisations where I see I can make an impact.

When I’m not doing this I like to keep my Spanish fluent and my golf handicap just right!


Building relationships that last

Strawberry was established in 1993, and since then, we have grown to become one of the region’s leading full service marketing and web design agencies with a team of Nearly 40 talented individuals.

Our roots are in the city of Hull, yet our client base reaches far and wide to include a diverse range of public, private and not for profit organisations.

The Strawberry mission statement is to ‘listen, think, create and achieve’ and by doing so, we put our clients at the heart of everything we do. This is why we deliver first rate projects and build strong, lasting relationships with all of our customers, each and every time.

Chairman

Leafe and Marr

NH Sotogrande Hotel

Marketing Manager

Barry Cooke Advertising

Account Executive

I’m a failed popstar!

But I’m a great agency coach! I sold my £2m agency seven years ago, and since then, I've been creating superior opportunities for my clients. 

Taking them to places that they never reach on their own. 

All my clients have grown - some doubled, some tripled, and most award-winning.

When I finish working with them, they’re happier, confident and wealthier. 

This is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. Other being a popstar!

Jonathan Leafe

It’s all about the feminine 

(I wrote this eight years ago, and it's also in my book; I thought it was worth a revisit for International Women's Day)

The assertion that ‘female’ companies will fare better in the 21st century than ‘male’ ones is an intriguing one - and one which can prove remarkably relevant for the modern company. 

The basic notion that a company can have traits that can be categorised as ‘male’ or ‘female’ is naturally a tricky one. Of course, we are clearly stereotyping here - obviously not all men and women hold or exhibit the characteristics listed in this post, nor are these lists exhaustive. 

Let’s begin with an exercise. Read the list below and tick all the traits that you believe apply to Apple, Google, Amazon, John Lewis and any other of the World’s biggest companies that you can think of. Give them each a plus score for ‘female’ traits and minus for ‘male’ - what would Apple’s total score add up to, for example?

‘FEMALE’ TRAITS
Flexible
Sincere
Teamwork
Honest
Reasonable
Cooperative
Kind
Listening
Sensitive
Gentle
Adaptable
Dependable
Patient
Supportive

‘MALE’ TRAITS
Rigid
Decisive
Focused
Daring
Overbearing
Confident
Straightforward
Selfish
Self-reliant 
Distinctive
Aggressive
Direct
Career-orientated
Ambitious

Now do this with your organisation - how did you fare? Were you leaning more towards ‘male’ traits or to ‘feminine’ ones? What are you going to do about it? 

Obviously, the best companies will have struck a good balance between the two, but out of both lists, the most attractive traits are blatantly ‘female’.

... Or do you disagree?

A big shoutout to all the female agency leaders I've had the pleasure of coaching and working with over the last eight years. We've been through ups and downs, triumphs and tears (mainly mine). 

Jane Entwistle
Libby Entwisle
Courtney Godwin
Jessica Metcalfe
Clare Bushby
Gemma Daniels BA(Hons)
Lilly Copeland
Lois Miles
Roisin Reilly
Amelia Caruso
Georgina Partington
 
And also to the multiple brilliant women I've had the pleasure of working alongside at Strawberry in my 27 years there. (Picture of me and many of the team just before I left - some legends in there).

 #IWD26

Helping agency owners solve their problems by someone who’s been there, done it, and exited successfully

The elite Agencies? They’ve built a different engine.

Most agencies are stuck on a treadmill. 

After 8+ years of coaching and 27 years running my own agency, I‘ve noticed a pattern that works every time, and I always initially focus on this. The top agencies, the ones that scale elegantly, primarily share these six traits:

1. They prioritise "Sleep-at-Night" Revenue. 

They don’t survive on one-off projects. They’ve built predictable, multi-stream income through retainers, SLAs, and support. If you can’t forecast next quarter to a year, you don’t have a business; you have a job.

2. They obsess over Impact, not just Output. 

Almost anyone can deliver a "task." The best agencies are obsessed with the benefit of that task. They don't just write code or copy; they move the needle for their clients. They create impact.

3. They are Order Makers, not Order Takers. 

If a client asks for "XYZ," an average agency says, Yes. A great agency asks "Why?" They are curious, proactive, and constantly looking for ways to enhance the client’s business. They lead the strategy; they don't just follow a brief.

4. They fire Energy Vampires. 

Toxic clients suck the joy out of the work and demotivate the team. The best founders protect their culture at all costs. No amount of revenue is worth losing your best people over a bad client.

5. They practice Calculated Courage. 

They are generally cautious with overhead and debt, but they aren't afraid to move. When a real opportunity arises, they have the "dry powder" and the guts to leap while others are still over-analysing.

6. They play the Long Game. 

They don’t chase "exit-at-all-costs" fantasies. They have a plan grounded in reality that focuses on wealth creation for everyone - founders, employees, and partners alike.

Building a great business isn't about maximum effort. It’s about these six fundamental shifts in mindset.

Which one/s are your agency currently missing?

Very similar messages come out of the excellent book 'Standout or Die' by my fellow agency coach Gareth Healey 

Image courtesy of Google Gemini.

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