4 minute read
The Big Interview
the big interview The eclectic
entrepreneur
At the top of Fredrick Elliott’s LinkedIn profile, there’s a simple description of his current vocation: “helping small businesses grow”. That, however, doesn’t tell the full story of a colourful career that has taken in retail, travel, advertising, business development, fashion, sales and marketing.
First, back to the present. Fredrick’s current venture, Daniel & Joseph, is a full-service sales and marketing agency that uses the power of digital marketing to get clients’ brands noticed online and drive additional revenue through their websites. Earlier this year he launched, The Networking Club, a business support club to help business owners and their employees connect, grow and support each other.
Fredrick says: “Daniel & Joseph covers all marketing touchpoints from to make your brand sparkle, to devising a comprehensive social media marketing campaign with full reporting metrics so you can see the true value of it. We’re basically an outsourced marketing department for a business; we help directors really understand the challenges they face and how to address them.”
Since launching Daniel & Joseph in 2019, Fredrick has built an enviable client base including an international fashionwear brand and construction, food & drink, HR and wellbeing companies. During the pandemic he helped firms to pivot, creating e-commerce platforms for bricks and mortar businesses and helping bars and breweries establish a takeaway and delivery service when they had to temporarily close their doors. This adaptability perhaps stems from Fredrick’s eclectic career, during which he chose not to specialise in one area and instead developed multiple skills that helped him solve business problems in many different areas.
As a teenager he was offered a place at university to study law but decided to turn it down, instead becoming a buyer’s assistant at John Lewis. He went on to design a range of dresses that were stocked in John Lewis stores around the country before, in the first of many unusual career twists he took on a public relations role at the company, helping to publicise the John Lewis women’s and men’s fashion range.
He then joined PR specialist Luchford APM, working with a range of international brands before he took time out to go travelling around North America and Europe.
“It gave me the opportunity to explore new cultures and work out what I wanted to do with my life,” says Fredrick. “It certainly gave me a wider perspective on things.”
In 2010 he joined Gapyear.com, a social network that enables advertisers to promote their tours, and this prompted his next step forward on career ladder: the launch of a small travel agency for the Brisbane-headquartered Flight Centre Travel Group. Fredrick’s next move was to establish a business called Gapyear.com Travel, an offline travel agency that merged with StudentUniverse to offer both online and offline expertise for student travel.
“That really got me into the world of travel,” he recalls. “I did this for a few years then realised that I wanted to do something different with my life.”
That new challenge came in the form of Daniel & Joseph and Fredrick has plenty of plans for the future.
“We’ll have a big focus on supporting local businesses and we’ll look to grow our reputation further afield as well,” he says.
“Consumers will still value bricks and mortar but they’ll benefit from developing a stronger online presence. We’ll continue to deliver innovative solutions and effective strategies for businesses, tailored specifically to their line of work and organisational goals. We take the time and effort to understand the businesses that we work with and they really appreciate and value our input.”
THE INSIDE STORY:
Fredrick Elliott
Favourite food? Beef short ribs cooked in a Korean spicy rub.
Favourite tipple? A pint of best bitter from any micro-pub/brewery.
Favourite holiday? A winter holiday on the ski slopes in either Europe or East Coast America.
Describe your family life? Never a dull moment; with family spread around the world and closer to home, my life has always been full. I’d summarise it as good times!
How do you spend your downtime? Relaxing over a book or renovating our new house.
What are your key strengths as a manager?
I wouldn’t like to say but I’m always happy to be challenged and corrected! Criticism from the team is always welcomed; we don’t always get it right first time!
And your limitations? Sometimes I’m a bit too headstrong – but aren’t we all sometimes!
Best thing about doing business in the bor-
ough? I grew up in and around Kingston/Epsom/Ewell so giving back to the community is something that keeps me happy. I enjoy helping businesses in the area to grow and prosper.
Famous person you’d most like to spend dinner
with? A tough question! I’d love to have dinner with either Winston Churchill or Louis Mountbatten.
Most interesting fact about yourself? One of my first jobs out of school was working in John Lewis as a buyer’s assistant. I ended up designing a small range of dresses that were stocked and sold in the company’s stores across the country.
