Happy 18th Birthday Creative Pod!

Today marks a very special day for me. It’s 18 years since I started Creative Pod UK and what a journey it’s been. 18 years ago I was fired for the last time from my employers in London for not agreeing on the future direction of the business (they went bust 20 months later) and I could have never imagined the incredible highs and soul destroying lows that lay ahead. I had saved ￡5k, bought a second hand iMac and was living in my first tiny flat that I had bought two years earlier. With a mortgage I couldn’t afford and no clients I thought it was sensible to start my own business as I was sick of working for absolute dickheads.?

For me, it’s always been about people. Meeting different people, learning from them and achieving things that so many people would say "you’ll never be able to do that”. These inspiring people I would meet as I travelled the world along with the life long friendships business has bought me is something I will always treasure and appreciate.

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on that journey and thank the brilliant people that have come into my life and enabled me to be the business person I am today. From my team and clients to my wife and children. Every single one of them have supported me even when the chips are down and I’ve been at my worst. Without these people I would never had experienced the success and memories over nearly two decades. I’m also incredibly proud of the impact and contribution to charity I’ve had over that period raising millions of pounds for local charities not to mention becoming a Patron for Chestnut Tree House and St Peter & St James Charitable Trust .

Here’s some highlights of those moments:

2006 Started Creative Pod in my flat in Crawley aged 21

2007 Creative Pod moved into it’s first office?

2008 Moved to Dubai and continued to grow Creative Pod

2010 Won Young Entrepreneur of the Year Gatwick Diamond Business Awards

2010 Started Young Start-up Talent - inspiring 16-25 year olds to start there first business with Lorraine Nugent - PR

2011 Jumped off Worthing Pier in the Bird Man for Chestnut Tree House with Ewan Dunlop

2011 1st Acquisition Gatwick Press now The Print Shop

2013 Acquired 50% shareholding of Crawley Town FC

2013 Won Business Person of the Year

2014 Keynote speaker at the Rhodes Youth Time Forum

2015 Won Responsible business of the year at Sussex Business Awards

2015 Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year Great British Entrepreneur Awards & Community The Great British Entrepreneur Awards

2016 Sold Crawley Town FC?

2016 Started ECHO - sponsorship brokerage

2017 Formed The Creative Group

2017 Business Model changed to out sourced marketing department for fixed monthly fee

2017 Danced in the Mid-Summer Ball with Marcella Whittingdale and raise ￡100k for charity

2018 Appointed Patron for Chestnut Tree House

2019 Spacelink Commercial Interiors Ltd join the group

2019 Delivered The Shanghai Super Classic

2020 427 Marketing joined the group

2020 2nd Acquisition of Huga Digital Marketing

2020 Appointed Export Champion for the Department for Business and Trade

2020 Became a 谷歌 partner agency

2021 Became a The Drum Network recommended agency

2022 Won Creative Agency of the Year

2022 Delivered the Rugby World Cup marketing

2022 Appointed Patron for St Peter & St James Charitable Trust

2023 Sarah Lyons wins employee of the year at the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards

2023 Invited to Windsor Castle for dinner with the Duke of Edinburgh

2023 3rd acquisition of 2UpFront Design

2024 Guest Lectured at University of Brighton to post graduate masters students (A real treat for someone who didn't go to college let alone university)

When it comes to successful entrepreneurs there is always one group of people who are never thanked or recognised for their contribution and that’s the partner of the entrepreneur. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my wife Michelle Boshoff-Turner for her unwavering support and loyalty over the past 13 years. Reflecting back over my journey it has been like watching a Netflix series, each year being it’s own season. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next 18 years/seasons.?

I’m excited to be continuing to grow Creative Pod UK with the most incredible team I’ve ever worked with. They really are first class and always try and go the extra mile for our clients! Thank you to everyone who has inspired me, motivated me and picked me back up.?

This post was also written by a human with a heart and not some soulless, shitty AI bot.

#Entrepreneur #Business #Marketing #AgencyLife #Sussex #London