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From a startup, to Forbes 30 Under 30 and the CEO of a global company, we sat down with Ben to unravel his journey.
In today's feature, we launch a new series where we interview highly successful individuals and analyse their paths to success. We begin with the compelling story of Ben Jeffries, CEO and Co-Founder of Influencer.com. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Ben has carved a niche in the influencer marketing sector by steering his company to adopt a data-driven approach that revolutionises brand engagement across the globe.
Under his leadership, Influencer.com has partnered with some of the world's most prestigious brands, including Coca-Cola, Xbox, Amazon, Google, Spotify, and the list goes on. Join us today as we get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Ben's journey and uncover the factors that have contributed to his success.
Welcome Ben!
How did your entrepreneurial journey begin?
My entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 18 with a clothing line I founded. I understood the value in having celebrities with a huge following wear my product, but I was confronted with a significant challenge: how could a small brand like mine capture significant attention without the typical celebrity endorsements? At the time, the notion of leveraging social media for marketing was just starting to take shape, and I saw a unique opportunity to tap into this emerging trend.
I decided to reach out to athletes who, while not global superstars, had robust online followings. Specifically, I targeted players from Chelsea Football Club's reserves and youth teams. These players were accessible and had tens of thousands of followers—enough to give a brand the exposure it needed but not so famous that they were unreachable for a small startup like mine.
Their willingness to engage with my brand by wearing and promoting my clothing on their social media platforms was a game-changer. The response was overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that these "micro-influencers" could drive real engagement and sales. This early success was pivotal; it not only validated the effectiveness of influencer marketing but also highlighted the untapped potential of micro-influencers, which has transitioned me into today with what we do at Influencer.com.
What is Influencer.com?
Influencer.com is an influencer marketing platform co-founded by myself and Caspar Lee, a well-known YouTuber and digital influencer. We connect brands with social media influencers to create impactful marketing campaigns. Our mission is to harness the authenticity of influencer partnerships to dramatically enhance brand visibility and engagement across digital platforms.
By leveraging data-driven insights and innovative technology, we ensure that every campaign is precisely optimised for success, delivering measurable results and significant returns on investment. Together, Caspar’s extensive experience as a content creator and my strategic business insights offer a unique and powerful approach to brand development and awareness.
To learn a little bit more about Influencer.com - check this out!
What inspired you to focus full-time on your entrepreneurial efforts?
While I was at Bath University, a lecture really changed things for me. It was by Ajaz Ahmed—he talked about how he built his creative agency and eventually sold it for £300 million. Hearing his story made me stop and think about what I was doing with my own life.
It was a real eye-opener, and it pushed me to focus all in on my own business idea. So, I left university and went full-time with it, managing to raise £150,000 through a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube. That money was a game changer—it let me refine the business model and start scaling up with a clear plan in mind.
Crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to raise funds online from a large number of people. Crowdcube, a leading investment crowdfunding platform, enables startups to secure investments in exchange for equity.
This method is especially beneficial for startups looking to engage a broader audience while gaining necessary capital. Learn more about crowdfunding on Investopedia's crowdfunding page.
Can you tell us about how you met your co-founder and how that changed your business?
The way I teamed up with Casper was pretty wild and totally unexpected. We actually got connected through a friend who happened to match with him on Tinder. What we thought would just be a quick coffee turned into a four-hour deep dive into strategy. We hit it off right away, realising that by combining his killer instincts for digital content and his huge following with my knack for business, we could really shake things up.
So, we decided to go for it and relaunched the business together. We even got some other big-name influencers to invest in us, which really helped us step up our game and cement our place in the influencer marketing world. This infusion of talent and capital propelled us forward, allowing us to innovate and grow at a pace we had only dreamed of before.
What does the future look like for technology in marketing at Influencer.com?
The landscape of digital marketing is rapidly evolving, and at Influencer.com, we’re staying ahead of the curve by embracing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence. We're using AI to streamline our operations and enhance our analytical capabilities significantly. Our main goal with this technology is to automate routine tasks, which frees up our team to focus on creative and strategic activities.
We’re also harnessing AI to refine our data analysis, allowing us to craft content that resonates more effectively with specific target audiences. This precision helps prevent ad fatigue and keeps our campaigns fresh and engaging. By leveraging these advanced technologies, we aim to not only improve the efficiency and impact of our campaigns but also set new standards for the industry, pushing marketing towards more personalised and impactful interactions.
Ad fatigue refers to the phenomenon where audiences become less responsive to advertisements they see frequently. This can lead to diminished engagement and reduced effectiveness of marketing campaigns. An innovative approach to combating ad fatigue is through continual content renewal and personalisation, ensuring ads remain fresh and relevant to the audience.
An innovative company in this space is AdCreative.ai, which utilises advanced AI to optimise ad content dynamically.
What challenges have you faced as a young CEO, and how have you overcome them?
Leading a company when you're pretty young throws up some interesting challenges, especially when it comes to getting people to take you seriously. At first, convincing big brands and experienced marketers to buy into what a young entrepreneur was pitching was tough. The game changer was teaming up with Casper. When we started pitching together, his creative clout mixed with my business strategy really turned heads and boosted our credibility big time.
Beyond just Casper, I’ve made it a point to surround myself with highly experienced people, like our CFO, who brought a wealth of knowledge from industries like media and finance. Working closely with such seasoned professionals has not only been invaluable in terms of learning but also in driving our business forward with a solid, experienced team behind every decision.
I've always had a strong aptitude for learning from those more experienced than myself, which has been crucial in navigating the complexities of our industry. That whole experience was a real lesson in the power of partnerships and having a team that balances out your strengths.
Could you share a significant setback or failure in your career and how you bounced back?
The most significant setback had to be when lockdown occurred in the UK due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. Prior to this, we'd had some huge new business wins, and literally overnight we then had contracts cancelled and pipeline decrease to almost £0. I'm very pleased that I had such supportive investors, and such a strong management team, who were able to all connect together to plan for how we could effectively weather the storm - and also set us up for best success in the future. We opted for a strategy of looking after our team, and continuously investing in key innovation projects - when restrictions were lifted - we were then in pole position for new business.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Looking back at who's really shaped my way of thinking, Gary Vaynerchuk definitely tops the list. He's got this bold, no-nonsense approach to business and marketing that's just so refreshing. Gary always challenges the usual ways of doing things and finds new paths to success. Having him as a sort of virtual mentor through his talks and books has been incredibly inspiring for me as I navigate my own career.
If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?
One quote that has really stuck with me and guided me through many challenges is actually from Gordon Ramsay: "Never fear a storm. Learn to dance in the rain."
We're often advised to take a step back and pause when things get tough, but I truly believe it's important to face challenges, hardships, and sometimes even failure.
These experiences are crucial—they help us gain valuable lessons and insights that can improve our long-term performance and resilience. That would be my advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: embrace the storms as opportunities to learn and grow.
Lastly, what three books would you recommend that have had a significant positive impact on you?
Velocity: The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital by Ajaz Ahmed and Stefan Olander – This book offers insightful perspectives on navigating the fast-paced digital landscape, which has been invaluable in how I approach business strategy and innovation.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson – It’s a bold take on prioritising what's truly important and letting go of the rest. This book has helped me focus on what really matters in both my personal life and my business.
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss – As a former FBI negotiator, Voss provides powerful negotiation tactics that are useful far beyond just business dealings. The strategies discussed in this book have been crucial in helping me navigate important conversations and decisions.
A huge thank you to Ben Jeffries for sharing his time with us and providing a truly fascinating insight into his journey from a young entrepreneur with a clothing line to becoming a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and the CEO of a leading influencer marketing platform.
We hope this interview has inspired you as much as it has inspired us. Now, we'd love to hear from you! Please let us know what you thought of the interview and leave your comments below on other guests you would like to see featured in this series.
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