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‘Bspoq’, our strategic marketing agency, has rapidly evolved over the last four years. Starting from our director’s bedroom during the pandemic to now boasting a team of twelve highly skilled professionals and a list of fantastic clients, the business has been on quite the journey.
We sat with bspoq’s OG’s, Matt Sandham and Kylie Moles, to get some insider scoop on the evolution of the business and find out a little more about their backgrounds…
Matt Sandham, CEO/ Director
- How did you get started in E-Commerce?
“I started my E-commerce journey when I was about 14 years old. I built my first website based on a hobby at the time, designing and customising gaming controllers. As the business grew, I was advertising on YouTube and shipping orders out around the world; I was hooked! I continued “playing” with E-Commerce for the next 5 or 6 years until I finished University, where I got a job with a local tool and hardware distributor. “
“At the time, they were going through a huge business transition from being a predominantly telesales company and wanted to become an online retailer. I was given the opportunity to lead that transition for about 3 years and during that time, helped to build the business to one of the fastest growing in the UK and right up there with the biggest in Scotland.”
“I’m very fortunate for that opportunity as it gave me the ability to learn with big budgets, high expectations and challenging targets, but without it, I wouldn’t now be in a position to offer the insight I can to our clients who are striving for that level of success and growth.”
- What was the main driver for you wanting to start your own business?
“I’ve always wanted to run my own business from a young age. I love the challenges and the journey that you go on by building up a business and bringing talented people together by giving them the tools and freedom to express themselves. “
“I don’t know if I can really answer what the “main driver” is; it’s always been part of who I am. The only way I can describe it is that I need to operate in an environment with unlimited headspace. I want to be able to influence the direction of what we are doing and where we are going, if that means having to be brave and completely change everything and start again to get the best result, we’re going to!”
- What made you take an interest in going down the marketing route from e-comm?
“When I first started the business, it was initially just an E-Commerce agency, taking my past experience and supporting other businesses to either begin or progress their E-Commerce journey. Very quickly, it became obvious that most of our clients didn’t have the in-house marketing teams or skills that were required to unlock their growth potential, so I made the decision to hire some highly skilled people into our team and support them with their marketing strategy and implementation.”
“Kylie joined the business really early on and helped to shape this diversification of our services. She has since played an instrumental role in how the company has evolved over the years beyond its E-Commerce origins whilst at the same time never losing our core strength in this area.”
- What would you say the most important factor was in successfully growing bspoq?
“Hard to pin this down to the most important factor without sounding cliche. If I had to try and answer this question honestly I would say commitment. This is demonstrated in a number of ways, firstly the commitment the staff have shown to the business by becoming part of and shaping our team. Next, our clients make a commitment to growing their businesses and trust us to support them. And finally, the commitment I have to make improvements to everything we do; service, processes, training, leadership, technology, partnerships – everyday looking for those marginal gains. Everyone here at bspoq strives to improve by 1% every day.”
- What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
“You have to start somewhere and try things. So many young people I speak to are waiting for the stars to all align, to plan the perfect way of doing something, and the reality is that’ll never happen. You have to dive in, make mistakes, learn from them and improve. “
“Somebody much wiser than I helped with creating a Be Do Have mindset, where most people are stuck in Have Do Be. In short, so many young people think, “When I have X, then I’ll Do Y and I’ll be what I want to be”, whereas by flipping it to “Be what you want to be, then you’ll Do Y and by being and doing you will Have what it is you actually want.”
- Favourite bspoq memory so far?
“Tough one, there are so many! I guess the ones that really stand out for me are moving from my spare bedroom into a proper office in Rubislaw. Hosting Aberdeen’s first B2B E-Commerce event with the support of partners and our team was a very cool moment. Visiting one of our partners in Vietnam this year is also up there!”
- Any big plans for this year? 👀
“Of course! The incredible amount of work that has gone on to get us to this stage has really just built the foundations for our next phase of growth. The committed team we now have means as a leader I can focus on the future of the business. We are making bold decisions about how to create a company that we are all proud of, that delivers exceptional results and is also fun to be part of! “
Kylie Moles, Head Of Marketing
- How did you get into marketing?
“By absolute chance! I wanted to work for the United Nations and moved to Switzerland to learn French. I met an amazing woman who was the head of the business school in Lausanne who really inspired me to aim high and take an interest in business. My visa ran out in Switzerland, so I moved to Paris, where a friend landed me a job in a fashion house. From there, I discovered my passion for business and marketing. I worked my way up with them for 10 years before moving to Scotland and working for bspoq.”
- What attracted you to bspoq?
“At the time, it was called MJS Digital, and it was just Matt in a small room! Matt and I had started chatting about me potentially coming to work with him as he was looking to hire his first employee. I had just had a baby 6 months prior and was keen to start back at work part-time potentially. He ended up hiring someone else as a Marketing Assistant and then hired me 2 months later! Matt and I hit it off almost straight away; his vision resonated with my own, and so I thought, “ What have I got to lose?”
- How has your approach to marketing evolved over time, and how have you adapted to the changing digital landscape?
“I think that the fundamentals of Marketing stay the same, but the ways in which you execute it evolve. I studied Social Sciences and Professional Marketing, which are both based on understanding people, their needs and motivations, which I believe will always be the foundation of good marketing no matter what channel or avenue you use. However, it is crucial to be mindful of new processes and methods people are using in order to meet those needs, which are always changing.”
“Using data is the best way to keep track of what people are actually adopting and can also provide a base for forecasting potential behaviours in the future. At bspoq, we keep an eye on the landscape and make data-driven decisions rather than jumping on trends. “
- Why are relationships at the forefront of bspoq’s strategy?
“Whatever business you are in, whether B2C or B2B, you are dealing with people. So, for us, it made sense to have a strategy that was people-centric as well as results-driven. We thoroughly believe that you cannot get the results you are looking for if you don’t understand people and build trusting relationships with them. “
- What are your views on the future of marketing, and how do you see it evolving in the coming years?
“I think we will see more advancements in technology that will help marketing teams to streamline their processes and be more efficient. Things such as AI and automation will become a normal part of daily life.”
- Favourite bspoq memory so far?
“That’s a hard one, as there are so many. I have just enjoyed watching the business grow and see how far we have come. It started out as three of us in a tiny little room, and now we have our own offices with 12 staff members. It has been a pleasure all the way through.”