From Standout to Startup - Digital Bites - Nov 2025

The lessons learnt from leaving a billion pound retailer and starting my own marketing company

Transcript

1. From Standout to Startup: The lessons learnt from leaving a billion pound retailer and starting my own marketing company
2. can-do-digital.co.uk This is Can-Do Digital A performance first, digital marketing startup built to unlock marketing budgets, move fast, and deliver results that make a genuine difference Hello!
3. can-do-digital.co.uk How it all started Leaving a billion pound business To a brand new one! Standout Startup
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10. can-do-digital.co.uk Exec/Assistant Do-er Manager Strategic Lesson learnt: Finding the gap
11. Be the puzzle piece 🧩
12. Meeting key business needs (with a Can-Do attitude!) Boots on the ground Boots on the ground can-do-digital.co.uk ACTION ACTION CONSULT CONSULT TRAIN TRAIN No in-house team Full in-house team Upskilling new starters Upskilling new starters Educating & directing Educating & directing Agencies are changing
13. So. How did it start? 📖 How did I get here?
14. Lesson learnt: Saying yes! Lesson learnt: Saying yes! Lesson learnt: Saying yes! Try to make performance marketing less boring
15. can-do-digital.co.uk But also know when to say no...
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17. Quick show of hands can-do-digital.co.uk
18. The most powerful AI supercomputer as of March 2025, xAI’s Colossus, draws an astounding 300 megawatts can-do-digital.co.uk
19. $100m can-do-digital.co.uk $1bn $5bn
20. $100m can-do-digital.co.uk $1bn $5bn
21. People aren't scared of AI, they just don't see the benefits for them can-do-digital.co.uk
22. NHS used AI to cut patient no show rates by 30% By predicting when and why appointments were likely to be missed (saving an estimated £40 million annually) can-do-digital.co.uk
23. can-do-digital.co.uk Tools I use
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26. AI (undercover) agents are here can-do-digital.co.uk
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28. Trying to spend as much time on the business as in the business
29. 1.Be flexible to meet the everchanging needs of a (potential) client 2.Find the bottlenecks 3.Don’t trust Google support - use ChatGPT or Gemini 4.Break through the walled gardens, trial different attribution models 5.Get commercial, chase profit over revenue 6.Try new things, new tools, break things 7.Learn fast, fail fast. can-do-digital.co.uk Top takeaways
30. Recommended reads/listens can-do-digital.co.uk
31. Be good. Be kind. Be brave. Be different can-do-digital.co.uk
32. Thank you! can-do-digital.co.uk