In the latest of our popular series of features we talk to... GREG MILES Founder & Managing Director, BUMBL
Did you always envisage a career in the Media industry?
When I was very little I wanted to be a professional footballer, but when that dream quickly evaporated I did spend a lot of time on the home computer when it was still novel, and creative writing was a strong suit, so combining technology and communications has felt natural.
What has been your career path so far?
I launched Bumbl within a year of graduating university, so I guess I was straight into the deep end building from the ground up. I didn’t have anything to invest other than my time, so the first few years were all about learning and developing my knowledge. I was learning business fundamentals, finance, hiring, sales, as well as honing my creative and marketing skills, building my own website… I had to do it all but that gave me a breadth of knowledge that has helped me build a team of people better than me in each area, with confidence.
What have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?
Building the initial momentum and remaining persistent when it felt like the tide was against me was tough. And of course the last 18 months or so have been a whirlwind, but we’ve learnt a lot and other challenges will now feel smaller in comparison, so there’s that at least!
Who do you most respect in your industry?
There are many, but the founding team at Social Chain have been an inspiration. Steven Bartlett, Dom McGregor and co have done things their own way and achieved amazing things in such a short space of time, at such a young age. While their business is a real unicorn, that kind of success story always broadens my perspective of what’s possible.
How did you adapt your business during the coronavirus crisis and support clients?
We had to adapt the type of businesses we worked with to some extent, helping some digitise their brands so they could operate exclusively online. The switch from office-based work to remote was also interesting, and like many businesses we’ve learnt how to do remote work effectively. We’ve adopted some of those ideas permanently with a hybrid model that involves both office and remote work, as we believe both have their benefits in our industry.
What is your greatest strength?
Being calm under pressure is a big one that has served me well, but I’d probably say my discipline is my biggest strength. Everything else follows on from that.
What is your biggest weakness?
I sometimes struggle to switch off which can lead to burnout if I’m not conscious about separating my work from my personal life. Sometimes someone will be talking to me and I’ll realise I’ve not been listening properly because I’m thinking about some work challenge or problem. I’m actively working on it and getting better at it, but haven’t fully cracked it yet.
What has been your proudest achievement?
I think just the fact Bumbl started out with such humble beginnings but has now been trusted by some amazing brands like Tommee Tippee, Lookers, Namco and even Nike, who we collaborated with on a project for Footy.com. Making a real difference to smaller, independent businesses never gets old either.
What are your remaining career aspirations?
One of my biggest goals, which admittedly is hard to quanitify, is to do my part to help ‘the North’ rival London in terms of being a great place to work. There’s still a perception that for young people to find the very best jobs they have to move to London, but that is starting to change and there’s some amazing companies emerging in Newcastle and other northern cities. Being a part of that shift is exciting.
How do you see your industry evolving in the next 10 years?
The metaverse has piqued my interest and could be the next big thing that businesses leverage to reach consumers. It all sounds very sci-fi but the blurring of real-world and digital experiences is already happening, such as in the video game Fortnite where players can buy Balenciaga clothing for their in-game characters, and likewise can buy Fortnite themed clothing in the real-world at Balenciaga stores. But truthfully it’s hard to predict how things will look in two years, never mind 10!
