How One Man Started His Own Company ‘Because He Can’
We speak with John Donovan, CEO of Because We Can Media – a company delivering industry defying campaigns for the gambling and e-sports industry by reaching the right audience, at the right time, through the right channels. Data focused, analytically driven and industry defining in their approach, the company offers 20 years of direct marketing experience, with an impressive publisher list, digital network and clientele base to back it up. In terms of years of trading, the company is very young, however, in this time, it has grown into a multi-million-dollar business that continues to grow and expand. Below John tells us more about it.
Tell us a bit about your life and career prior to founding Because We Can Media.
I have spent the last 15 years working with and alongside an array of fantastic brands to help both growth and expansion across multiple markets. I have always been sales focused and a few years ago, as I was heading home on a hot and packed train, I decided that I can use my expertise and abilities to build something for myself and help more people.
What was the idea about Because We Can Media born out of? How did you set up the company?
I sat down with a friend of mine, who also works in the industry and we discussed both the good and bad things within the current digital market. I suggested that we should perhaps start our own company and take onboard what we think works and what clients really want to see, and he said to me: “Just do it”. I asked him why and he said: “Because you can!”. And this is how Because We Can Media was born.
The next day I started going through the process of weighing up the financial implications of becoming my own boss and trying to figure out the best way to set up a company. I spent the next six months growing partners and offerings that the market needs. I’ve always been interested in the gambling industry, even as someone who does not gamble, and I soon discovered that there was a pending interest for these brands to be involved or aligned with the ever-growing esports industry. And this is how these two crazy and fast-paced fields became the company’s core focus.
What were your main goals for the company in the beginning?
My main objectives at the beginning were similar to the objectives of any other startup – to grow the company. Naturally, being a one-man band has its challenges and I very quickly went onto a learning curve of wearing multiple hats. I was trying to make sure I was bringing on new clients, whilst sticking to our ethos of doing things the right way and not cutting corners.
Could you please tell us a bit about your current business models? What makes them successful?
The main factor which differentiates us from our competitors is that we go above and beyond for our clients. We focus on hitting their KPIs and ensure we drive as much ROI as possible through the various channels we use. We like to see ourselves as an extension to their marketing arm and work with them to ensure that we are all aligned in the goals we are trying to achieve.
What are some of the company’s key achievements you’re most proud of?
One of the things I’m most proud of is our 100% retention rate with all of our clients. We now have customers from places like Costa Rica, Africa and even Australia and this is due to the hard work the whole BWCM team puts in. I’m very proud of our devoted team members who work hard across various countries and time zones to make sure that our clients are happy with our services. Thanks to this dedication, we are not only a trusted partner to our ever-growing clientele base, but we’re also like family to them.
