The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 43: June/July 2019 | Page 13

IN PROFILE
ED HOLLANDS
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER
DRIVENMEDIA
Where is DrivenMedia today?
This year has been utterly amazing, by the end of May we
will have 75 branded trucks on the road sharing company
messages with another ten commissioned and ready to go. Just
a year ago we had five live on the road. The growth has been
phenomenal and our hard work is starting to pay off. We’re now
a team of three, myself, my finance guru (and fiancé) Tara and
my sales director Phil. I’m currently interviewing for another
sales role to assist us with further growth.
How has it been to work with Jenny Campbell?
It’s been such a help to the business to have her input and to
enjoy the support of her team. She’s been there all the way
through. This has not been a ‘flash in the pan’ experience,
she has really invested in me, challenged me and continues
to push me to move forward. Her team are always on hand, I
never feel I cannot call and ask their advice. The mentorship
on offer has been outstanding and beyond what I expected.
Was the Dragons’ Den experience worth it?
Ed Hollands is the 25-year-old entrepreneur
who first came to the public’s attention as the
baby-faced young man who appeared on the
BBC series Dragons’ Den in February 2018
when he pitched the idea of DrivenMedia, a
business which creates mobile billboards
for companies’ messages on the sides of
commercial trailers and lorries as they travel
around the UK road network.
While Dragon Peter Jones thought Ed might
still be at school, the graduate went on to
secure investment from Dragon, Jenny
Campbell, known as the Cashpoint Queen.
Ed will be taking to the stage at the South
West Business Expo at STEAM in Swindon on
Thursday 4th July sharing his story ‘From The
Roadside To Dragons’ Den and Beyond…”
REFRESHING BRAND AND
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
WITH ADDED JUICE
www.juicy-designs.com
TBE Advert 210x59mm v1.indd 1
It was absolutely the right choice for me. Don’t get me wrong,
although the publicity was hugely valuable, it’s not something
you can do lightly. These are serious business people and
you need to prepare, having a good idea is not enough on its
own. You need to know your numbers, you need to be able
to demonstrate you’ve a good grasp of your market and
you have to show in the hour or so you are in front of them
that you have passion and commitment. You also should
have an idea of which Dragon you’d like to work with and a
clear idea of how much equity you are prepared to give away,
you need to know how to make a deal which works for you.
Come prepared to negotiate. It’s one of the most terrifying
experiences in business I’ve ever had. From it has come my
business relationship with Jenny and her team, more follow
up opportunities with the BBC and more visibility.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced
as an entrepreneur?
I’ll be honest it is my age! Walking into to a haulier’s office
and then being asked “is your boss coming?” never really
starts a relationship off that well. It still happens; we all saw
Peter Jones’ reaction when he thought I was 14. Aside from
that, it’s got to be speaking with the bigger brands. However,
I’m pushing through as I think all young entrepreneurs face
these issues and I’m finding it easier over time and, as my
profile and brand grows, people are beginning to know me
before I arrive so that can really help.
What type of business gets the marketing
opportunity that you offer?
A range - often it’s those businesses which want to get a
message out nationally or regionally rather than a very local
business. Examples include icelolly.com; leasing.com and
Trakm8. We’ve done lorry wraps for universities, charities,
start-ups and established businesses.
Recently a Derby based car dealership called Beechwood
Mazda launched a wrap on the back a truck which travels
around the city and the surrounding areas and within a
fortnight had two customers come in to buy a car. Within the
fortnight, the lorry paid for itself and that lorry is on the road
for a test period of three months. I’m pretty sure they’ll want
to renew and extend their campaign now.
Can you do this for any business?
We need to understand the geographic area which is
important to a client and ensure we source the right trucks
which are travelling around that area. For a national brand
that’s easy as we have a bank of hauliers we can work with
nationally however sometimes it takes a little time.
For a car dealership for example, we may have to source
a more local haulage business which will agree to have its
lorries wrapped (they do get paid for this) in order to source
the right road network. This can take time however we will
actively seek that opportunity if a company is serious about
adding DrivenMedia to their marketing mix.
What does it cost?
The investment for a 12-month campaign for a rear-only
advertisement is £4,000 plus VAT at the moment and for a full
wrap £8,000 plus VAT. That includes production, fitting and
rental based upon a client’s own brand designs or our teams,
and also live GPS tracking and reporting throughout that
period of time.
Other shorter options are available, the shortest time we’d
recommend a truck should be wrapped is six months for a
full wrap and three months for a rear due to production costs
and from experience in terms of return.
What do you do when you are not working?
Any start-up entrepreneur knows that you work crazy hours
to get towards your goal and it’s really hard to switch off. I do
try my best to take time off with my fiancé Tara and our family
and friends. It’s important to take time, have a few days away
when you can and remind yourself why you do what you do.
Family has always been important to me.
One thing I do at weekends is, believe it or not, dodgeball.
I’m a qualified referee and I referee games across the UK.
I got into the sport at university and just loved it, it’s fast,
energetic and a little crazy. I suppose it’s a bit like me!
What’s coming up later in the year?
There are some exciting business developments coming
along, though I can’t say too much at this stage. The most
exciting thing for me is my forthcoming wedding. I’m getting
married to Tara in August. We’ve been together for seven
years after meeting at a scout and guides camp and she’s
the love of my life. I could not have done any of this without
her support. I’m becoming increasingly nervous, that feeling
like you’ve forgotten something when you haven’t, and I’m
wondering if my wedding day might be even more nerve-
wracking than Dragons’ Den and yes Jenny has been invited!
Chase Owen
Racing
21/01/2019 10:26
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE
2019 13