Hey 👋 My name is Graham Grieve. I run a small (but growing) SEO firm in Glasgow (Scotland) called A1 SEO Glasgow.
Over the last year, I have been on a mission to grow what was my part-time SEO side hustle into a full time, growing agency.
I've gone from a solo freelancer to a (small) agency owner - £50,000 to £240,000 in one year 😲
<aside> ⚠️ I know there are people doing much bigger numbers out there, but 480% growth in my first full-time year was HUGE for me!
</aside>
Why am I sharing my £££ stats?
I feel like my year 1 stats are both realistic and relatable for the average digital professional without being sensational. I'm not sharing to be a "look at me" type prick as these are not ground-breaking stats but relatively easy to achieve.
Anyway...
Over the last 12 months, I've had some success, solved a ton of problems and learned a few things I wish I'd known before starting out on my own.
The below is a collection of thoughts and experiences that have stood out to me over the last year.
It's mostly a load of rambling and something for me to reflect on personally at a later date, but hopefully, there's a nugget or two in here that is of some value.
This is an unfiltered account of my experience that doesn't look to hide anything. I do touch upon the darker side of early-stage growth alongside the positives.
<aside> 🙏 Take my experience for what it is - my own personal experience. I'm in no position to advise anyone about running a business. If I could give any genuine advice to anyone it would be to take anyone's advice with a pinch of salt.
</aside>
My experiences will probably be more relatable for people looking to grow from freelancer to agency. If you're looking at starting a solid freelancing gig you should definitely check out Ryan Darani's post.
Anyway, here goes...✈
I'd initially written a chunky section here. But no one is here for that, lol 🤷♂️
Summarising my background below 👇
I left school and worked as a dishwasher ➡ My university application was rejected 3 years after leaving school ➡ Went the long way via college then into university ➡ Started a marketing firm offering free services to charities to get some experience ➡ Landed a digital marketing internship off the back of this work ➡ Got into SEO during this internship in 2014 ➡ Started freelancing ➡ Landed a few nice in-house roles over the course of 6 years ➡ Built up my freelancing on the side alongside various "day jobs" in digital ➡ Left an amazing job and team to turn my freelancing gig into a full-time agency in 2020 ⬆