An entrepreneur who said people laughed when he told them he built websites for a living now runs a multi-million pound business empire.
James Dooley, who lives in Manchester, started out by building playgrounds, tennis courts and netball courts. He then discovered search engine optimisation (SEO) and lead generation and started to make a career building websites.
The 42-year-old said many people couldn't understand how he'd succeed when he started more than 20 years ago. But now he runs 17 companies and employs more than 300 people.
From playgrounds to lead generation
James owns one of the UK's largest lead generation businesses, FatRank, and said many of the people who once questioned his career are now asking him for business advice. "I started out by building playgrounds, tennis courts and netball courts," James said. "I've grown that into a £10 million-a-year business. I didn't go to college thinking I was going to become a lead generation expert. It just happened through hustling."
James explained how he threw himself into learning about SEO and digital marketing while the industry was still in its infancy. "There are a lot of people who will say they understand what I do, but what they say and what they do are two completely different things," he said. "I'd say there's probably 99.9 per cent of people in the industry that don't know what they're doing, which is scary. There can only be one number one spot and everyone's fighting for it."
Family first
Despite his success, James said earning millions hasn't changed his priorities. He starts work at 4.20am every day, but always makes time for his family. "My brain never stops," he said. "But I always set aside 3pm until 7pm for my children. Staff know I'm unavailable during those times and then the evening is for my wife."
Staff development key
James said he believed that treating staff well has also played a major role in the growth of his businesses. Rather than blaming employees when things go wrong, he said companies should focus on improving their training and internal processes. "If something isn't working, I never blame staff," he said. "I always blame the processes and the internal training to give them every possible chance. That's key."
His philosophy has seen apprentices progress all the way to director level. "I have six directors and every single one started as an apprentice," James said. "They've all been with us for over 10 years and with great training they've all elevated into the best versions of themselves. I'm trying to shoulder the people from within and staff love my feedback. They see me do what I do and then realise the volume I expect from them is achievable. I always say in business and life, practice what you preach."
Last laugh
Looking back, James said ignoring those who doubted his career choice was one of the best decisions he ever made. "People laughed when I said I built websites for a living," he said. "They're not laughing now."
