I worked for an experience day voucher company as a graduate, and learned all about SEO & content marketing. It was a small company, competing against much bigger establishments - and I learned all about internet marketing in a fast paced, competitive environment. I then moved to a full service SEO agency, where I managed the content, outreach and link building teams - creating the strategy and directing a great team toward some fabulous digital PR for over 100 clients. Covid hit, the agency changed focus and I decided to leave, seting up Hive19 with my co-founders to provide the highest quality link building and digital PR on the market.I'd seen some poor, lazy work in my years - and I wanted to build an agency that big companies with aspirational targets (and budgets) would enjoy outsourcing too.
I one brought a pair of fake Oakleys back from Turkey, and swapped them for the sliding Nokia phone used in The Matrix. (The person knew they were fake). That same day, I went to a friend's house and his brother swapped said phone for a Noklia 3310 and a top of the line Mini Disc player. ...I also worked my way up at a local fencing manufacturing company as a young lad, working weekends and half terms - from lorry washer up to lead ing the cash & carry - earning enough to buy a Corsa SXi and go to University along the way.
Tough one. From 2022 to now, I'm sure lots has changed. However, I'd probably say the most poignant one would be that things don't stay the same, and that can be a good thing. Change shouldn't be feared, but your attitude towards it should be positive. Trust in yourself, trust in your goals and the way you've dealt with things up to now to get to this position. It will feel great again, and success will come.
When a client signs a contract... or when an outrageously good website publishes one of our articles, linking to the client. I also love when we create something as a team, persevering against the challenges and building something special.
Mad rush sorting the kids out (two young boys), school run, meetings, BAU tasks, emails, some form of school run, mad rush to get the kids sorted for bed, maybe Watt Bike, watch TV then bed by midnight. 90% of the time it's like that, though I might add in a night out with a mate (and a few beers) or a little cuddle with the wife.
Walking, and podcasts. I am not the most consistent of people, and am prone to flitting to the new shiny thing. However, my business partners are UBER process focused, and keep me on the straight and narrow. I know that if I make my bed before I do anything else, have only black coffee before midday (18 hr fasts are great) and then hit an afternoon walk - the rest will fall into place around it. Or, I'll get nagged and guilted into making sure it happens on time.
I made an error once, contacting someone I thought wanted our services. However, as it transpired, that person had shared that they required services of our nature in a safe space (info was passed to me), and certainly wasn't expecting to be contacted out of the blue. All hell broke loose, and I was outed on Twitter as some kind of stalker. It blew up, and I deactivated as a result. It was very early Hive19, and I certainly didn't want to risk the budding reputation of my new business.
Sometimes people call me Air-on, rather than Aaron (as in A-ron). I also might sometimes have a resting b* face, or not always be as smiley as I should... and I might come across less friendly than I actually am (I am very friendly, unless I have reason not to like you).
Watt Bike, watch football (Premier League) walks, spend time with my wife and kids (LOL that's not remotely recharging, but it is the best).
Building something special, working with great clients and delivering brilliant work. I have been focused on the £££ before, and while that does bring many benefits, I don't think it's everything. Can't do without it obviously, but the difference between enough and loads could damage all of the other important areas.
We are extremely white hat. We do things the hard way, and the way not many other agencies have the bandwidth or sanity to do. There are shortcuts, but they're no good in comparison and we love a challenge. It's what has helped us to have the client list we have, but it's not easy.
Anything black hat. Anything where time pressures are more important than quality.
Relevancy = no.1. Metrics and measures are great, but fundamentally in link building, the links that will last the test of time and prove the most valuable across any search engine or AI are from industry relevant businesses.
We're a boutique agency, and haven't had the most experience in hiring. Sure we've taken staff on, and they've been great... but I wouldn't say we have a set guideline. Mainly good people who can fit into the team, and work well with the long standing staff members. No mavericks, no egos - and the ability to take on feedback... because you're likely to get a lot of it (from publishers, clients and staff).
Meetings where anything goes. Say what you want, but be prepared to have that idea tested in every which way - to find its weak spot. If it doesn't have one, wahey. We work remotely 80% of the time, so it's important we communicate well - Slack mainly - and in our different meetings, usually on Gmeet.
Tough one, as we're a niche agency - I wouldn't pretend to know someone else's line of work. In our industry, I'd say metrics and measures are easily manipulated and can distract clients who have a little bit of knowledge. 'I only wants links from sites with X DA' or whatever, rather than focus on the reality of what actually makes a good link.
Relevancy, and authority. Google was built on quality links, demonstrating one's authority. AI, I think is following a similar trend - referencing information it deems to be most authoritative. Focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) and deliver great content.
Subscription model, over bulk buying. It's better to have 10 months of 1x link per month than 10x links bought up front.It keeps revenue steadier, it keeps clients expectations in check (and money in their bank) and creates a longer term relationship. It's also better for the authority of the website.*10 links over 10 months is just an idea for the argument, we run all different types of campaigns and volumes for different clients.
Build it as though it's got 10 people working in it already. Don't wait to set up your Xero account, or your company / VAT registration. Don't create hundreds of spreadsheets because it's quicker to do just do it this way today. Set up ready to scale. So many agency owners I know are in an admin mess, or have been through one because they built on sand and fire fought to keep it together. Have someone process focused, who can help with operations set it up from the go.Oh, and automate. Check out Zapier. It will save hundreds of hours, in a business like mine,.
I'd be more bolshy from the start. I'm not one to shout or go bounding in, but I think starting again I'd want more intros, more meetings and more clients sooner. I now know what we do is worthy of huge clients, which I only hoped was the case back then. I wouldn't change anything and I have zero regrets (maybe the Twitter closure actually) but I would be more confident from the very start... but we all start somewhere.
We certainly aren't the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. We guarantee deliverables, and are confident in our pricing. If we aren't a good fit based on pricing, that's totally fine for both parties. Neither should have to compromise to a stage where it's uncomfortable to move forward.
We have a democratic approach to workload, and client decisions. We don't just take on any client because they're willing to pay, but if they are in an industry we can serve, are good people and we can deliver good work - we're ready to go.
Good question! I'm not sure really, as public perception is not necessarily who that person really is. One of my best friends discovered a trend in cardiovascular health, and set up a Medtech company as an Oxford graduate - which has received multiple rounds of funding and is now worth the heavy end of 9 figures. He is clearly a genius, but you'd never guess it (in a nice way, I mean). His approach, and his company is very inspiring to me... but our industries are worlds apart.
Ahrefs, Pitchbox, Photoshop.
Awareness, Anthony de Mello.
Hybrid. I like to work from home for the more difficult stuff, but I also love the company meet ups when we are doing more creative, collaborative work. We started Hive19 during Covid, so it was normal for us to work at home. But as the company grew, it has really benefitted us all being in an office once or twice a week.
Depends where I am, or who I'm with. That said, I probably did delve a little too far into the Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchins et al during my 20s... and people weren't sure whether to invite me to Christenings or weddings. I'm much more chilled now tho!
In our industry, the hold up is almost never at our end. It's usually always with the publishers. We've done all of the research, assessment, outreaching, pitching, content creation - and then... we wait. We wait for publishers who said 'yes, let's do it' to get back to us, or to publish the work we've put so much into.
When a simply outstanding link lands. Sharing a bomba with a client who I know is going to absolutely love it. Having great clients who love to receive this sort of thing via Whatsapp, with an appropriate gif alongside it.
Google started its algorithm using links. The whole internet is links, and the quality of yours are a huge factor in where your website will be ranked in search.
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