RUN YOUR OWN MARKETING AGENCY from anywhere in the world!

LEARN HOW TO SET UP YOUR AGENCY

We have run our agency since 2007. We have had highs and lows like all businesses, but we are here 17 years later and we really enjoy helping and mentoring other motivated individuals who would like to set up an agency.

No experience is necessary. Just a desire to build a business that will enable you to enjoy the world wherever you want, whenever you want!

Read below for more information about how Social Media Academy can help you to build your own agency, giving you the freedom to work to live rather than live to work!

HOW TO SET UP A marketing AGENCY

Starting a digital marketing agency can be a rewarding and challenging venture. And it can also enable you to operate from anywhere in the world!

Here are some steps you can take to get started:

Define your target market and services: Identify the types of businesses and industries that you want to work with, and determine the specific social media marketing services that you will offer.
Develop a business plan: A business plan will help you define your goals, assess your competition, and outline the resources and strategies you will need to succeed.
Establish your brand: Choose a name for your agency and create a brand identity that reflects your values and target market. This may include developing a logo, website, and social media presence.
Market your services: To attract clients, you will need to market your agency and its services effectively. Consider using social media, networking events, and content marketing to reach potential customers.
Create a plan. Is working abroad part of your plan? Do you want to live abroad or just visit different places while staying based in the UK? Is this something you will rely on to pay your bills or do you have savings/pensions etc?

This is a basic outline of some of the processes we will work through with you. Operating from a foreign country comes with some challenges, but Karen and Phil can assure you that the rewards make it all very very worthwhile!

Chat to us. If you don't ask you don't get!!

Namaste!

WHO IS THIS FOR?

We have helped creative marketers from all kinds of backgrounds, including:

Change of career: Marketing is completely new to you, but digital media excites you and you really fancy having a go at running your own agency.
Graduates: You have completed further education in marketing, but are struggling to run your own agency business, with all the plates needing to be spun!
Ex agency staff: You've spent time working for a large agency but struggled working within the confines of a corporate set up.
Creatives: You have no problems producing amazing content but running your own business isn't top of your skill sets.
Needing business focus: You feel that you need mentoring on various aspects of running your own agency.
Need more clients: You may have the best creation skills but how are you going to get clients to keep your agency afloat?

SET UP A CHAT

what we can help you with

Starting a marketing agency can be a rewarding and challenging venture, whether based in the UK or if you are looking to work abroad remotely.

Here are some of the ways that Social Media Academy can help you:

Business set-up. Doing things correctly from the start is something you will grow to appreciate further down the line. This includes aspects including: sole trader or limited company? VAT registered? Business partners/team. Invoicing systems. Bank accounts. Insurances. Pensions. Foreign countries laws on working remotely
A clear and concise business plan: Everyone will have different objectives, depending on their stage of life, outside commitments and monetary targets to put in place and achieve.
Knowledge of all platforms: Whilst you may be amazing on eg: Instagram, what if your next chat involves a legal company that only want help with Twitter and LinkedIn? You will need a decent knowledge of all channels, websites, email marketing and lots more.
Services & Pricing: What marketing services should you have available to offer clients and how much should you charge? Do you follow competitors or disrupt the market by offering something unique? Do you offer services to everyone or focus on a specific niche?
Systems: Running multiple channels for multiple clients, whilst it's very exciting, it can also be really challenging in many ways. Having systems set up correctly, will help you save countless hours, enabling your profit to be much higher and stress much lower!
Sales know-how: Businesses survive on sales. As we say, 'likes don't pay the bills'! So having a healthy sales pipeline in place is essential as is client retention. Sadly, social media doesn't tend to be the best source of new business for agencies, as most clients wanting help either loathe digital or use it very rarely, so having many alternative sales methods in place is imperative.
Team building: Before too long, as your agency grows, so it will be imperative that you have support. But where do you start? Employ or outsource? How much to pay? How to manage? How to protect your business? So many aspects involved in building your team in the right way with the right people.
Staying motivated: Keeping on top of your game is imperative to the success of your agency. New agencies are popping up daily so you need to stay on point, to ensure you keep your clients happy, your team happy and most importantly yourself happy.

Our coaching and mentoring programmes cover all of the above and lots more. This knowledge has been gained over many years and has proved imperative for so many of our clients.

SET UP A CHAT

PHIL GEE

I'm Phil and i'm born and bred in Liverpool but have worked and lived in various parts of England including London and York. After 20+ years in high street retail, I set up my marketing agency (websites only back then!) in 2007.

I first visited Thailand ten years ago and felt an instant connection and feeling of being 'at home'. Anyone who has visited will understand what I mean. It's a perfect fusion, for me at least, of the old and the new. Much of the country has purposely stayed as it was years ago, whereas many f the big cities have, in my opinion, overtaken much of the west, England included, in terms of transportation, tech and commerce. It's a truly uplifting country, that I always urge everyone to visit at least once.

I have also visited other South East Asian countries including Loas, Vietnam and Indonesia, all of which are stunning too.

Through my social media accounts, sharing my journey working away, I have had a lot of interest from people who are interested in seeing if they too can accomplish a 'digital nomadic' lifestyle, whether that is moving lock stock and barrel or just spending parts of teh year working remotely.

Meeting Karen, gave me a fresh insight into actually living in a foreign country as opposed to my extended trips and we decided to offer our experience and support to anyone interested in living or working in South East Asia.

PHIL ON INSTAGRAM

KAREN DEAS

I’m Karen Deas, also known as Deasy, born and bred in Liverpool! I have been living in Bali, Indonesia, for over 2.5 years now. I decided to leave the UK because, like many people, the lockdown put life into perspective for me. After feeling restricted for a while, I realised that as soon as restrictions lifted, I needed to make the most of my freedom. So, I sold my house and chose to reinvent myself as a digital nomad on the other side of the world.

I possess the skills to adapt and work from anywhere, as long as I have a computer and internet access, providing me with countless opportunities to explore. After taking a long break of around 18 months to travel and build my new life, I utilised my background in marketing, business development, PR, and hospitality to establish myself as a freelancer.

Then Phil Gee, a fellow Liverpudlian and world traveller, entered my world, and we realised we could create something special together by helping others who wish to embark on a similar journey. Understanding both the hurdles and the benefits is equally important.

KAREN ON INSTAGRAM