10mins with a 10-Year-Old
01 October 2021
01 October 2021
Loud Mouth Media is in its 10th year of business, so the team took the opportunity to sit down with Mark Haslam, Managing Director and OG Loud Mouth, to see what he has learned over the past decade and what advice he has for others looking to start a business.
Starting a business is tough – but keeping it afloat is even more difficult. So, it stands to reason that if you’re able to get your brand off the ground, keep it going, and keep it growing for 10 years, you're doing something right!
As Loud Mouth Media celebrates its 10th birthday, we took the opportunity to interview our fearless leader, founder, and Managing Director, Mark Haslam. We picked his brain on the lessons he’s learned over the past 10 years and what advice he would pass on to anyone else looking to start a business. Here’s what he had to say:
“If you believe in the idea, you’ve done your research, you’ve spoken to the experts, and you feel it could work, then just do it. Just get it done and don’t be afraid of failure.
If you’re sensible, if you scale appropriately, and you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, it will all be worth it. If you fail, get back up on that horse - it’s all part of the journey.”
“I remember what it’s like to work in a job where you’re only as good as your last success - and I avoid that at all costs with my team at Loud Mouth. We spend too much time at work to not enjoy the work itself, the people, and the atmosphere around you. I want working at Loud Mouth Media to be positive and productive, and we need to learn from one another. We’re stronger together and can achieve so much more as a team. When we do that, everyone wins!”
“It’s not really a secret, but treat people like people. Treat them with respect, understand why we’re all working, and realise that we all make up the brand that drives our success. I trust my team implicitly. We make sure we keep hiring good people who are hard workers. And we then make sure that we help them to develop and grow.”
“A key lesson has been to let other people feed into the business' success. A brand is made up of everyone on the team, and it was a learning curve for me to really listen to others, to let them guide the business, and to be agile.”
“Everybody in this world wants everything yesterday, there is a need for instant gratification. With everything in our lives being more urgent today than when I founded Loud Mouth Media, it can be difficult to do - but just stop, take a breath, and be patient. Be more realistic with your goals and take your time. Hiccups will inevitably come, but stick to the plan and keep going.”
“I learned to always approach digital as if I was opening up a physical shop. What would be realistic in terms of budgets, results, and sales?
You need to have the right product, at the right time, in the right place. Put the customer first, and always have in sight what they want and need. It's really that simple!”
“I've always wanted to do more than what others thought was possible. For Loud Mouth, I wanted the business to be different and not be what or do what people expected. That is for my team, for my clients, and everything – push the limits.”
“My belief has always been this: it doesn’t matter where you are - it's about whether you can do the job. We haven't chosen our office locations based on clients or being around the corner from leads.
We ensure that we're in the right locations to for potential opportunities - both for the business and the team. Client success will come from having the right minds on the team, the right knowledge pool, and the right colleagues motivating one another.
We work with clients all over the world, from Dubai to NZ, from the USA to Europe. I’m a strong believer that if we have a phone and a laptop, we can do business.”
Mark kickstarted Loud Mouth Media in the end of 2011 as a PPC specialist agency, with the brand’s specialisms, staff, turnover, and number of locations growing and expanding each year. As of the end of 2021, Loud Mouth Media offers services across Digital Strategy, Paid Search and Video Advertising, Social Media Advertising, SEO, eCommerce, and Performance Creative. Almost 30 employees are based across Belfast and Glasgow, two virtual offices are based out of Dublin and London, and expansion into the USA is to come in the next few years.
There’s always more to learn, but the entire team at Loud Mouth Media is so excited for what is to come in the next 10 years. For now, we’ll keep doing what we do best: defying expectations and breaking limits within digital marketing.
