Meet The Coach – Sam Clegg

When I moved to the North East in 2008 to study Marketing and Management at Newcastle University I learned two things straight away:

1) that I wanted to run my own business, and
2) that the North East was one of the very best places in the world to do this

I set up my first business straight after leaving University in 2011; an online pet accessory retailer with two school friends, and it’s fair to say that this is when my education really began! The dog eat dog online pet industry (pun very much intended) taught me the essential importance of brand building to differentiate your service online.

In 2015 I cofounded Festibl, a music social network, after meeting my business partner on the SparkTank accelerator programme (run by Gateshead Council and Northumbria University). It was an amazing experience – after winning a national business competition, we got the opportunity to pitch to a room full of industry experts and investors at Google in London. As is unfortunately common in the world of Tech Start-Ups, the business dwindled out, however the lessons learnt will last a lifetime.

Throughout running my first two companies I was working as a freelance marketing manager for a whole host of small and growing businesses across the North East – from musicians to stage shows, retailers to financial services, and I quickly found a passion for coaching and helping support other businesses. This led to me setting up Highfly Ventures, the digital marketing and training agency that I still run today, with the mission to help 1000 business across the North East to reach their full potential.

I love working with dedicated entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs, and helping support them any way I can. Where I can add most value is helping companies ensure they have tested their market, understand their customer, and are marketing their product or services effectively online. I have made a fair few mistakes over my business life, and helping point out potential pot-holes is another strength of mine!

Mostly I like to bring enthusiasm to the table. Undoubtedly setting up a business is extremely hard work, and often the entrepreneurs at the helm need a strong, understanding support network to lean on… that’s where I come in.