Hi there, I’m Akber Khan
Marketing Director, Rutland Capital Partners
Born and bought up in West London, I am experienced and passionate about helping businesses grow by marketing their products and services on and offline. I’ve learnt the long and hard way on how to grow a business the quick and easy way. It’s not as hard as some people make out. I am Google Ads and Analytics certified, married and have three young children.
How I Cut My Teeth
In my early 20’s, I set up and ran an affiliate marketing business, growing it from a single product to over 100 in my first year. We were rocking! We did great for years, but I mismanaged my money, squandered valuable income on things my business didn’t need and eventually and reluctantly, had to close it down. I felt gutted, sad, upset and ashamed, all at the same time, but determined to learn from my experiences.
It was this exposure to marketing where I recognised how relevant advertising is, not only for local but also for global businesses – I learnt how, in the future, it will be an absolute necessity to a company’s growth, to sell their business’ products and services online and not a, nice to have, option. We have to evolve or we will be left behind.
From Ratners and Rumbelows in the ’90s (remember them?) to the more recent closures of MFI (Furniture and Kitchens), Borders (Books), Comet, Tie Rack, Blockbuster, Maplin, Poundworld, Toys r Us, BHS, Woolworths, Thomas Cook and Mothercare. These brands are gone, and they all failed to change their business model.
This is where innovation in marketing – creating marketing funnels, improving conversions, targeting your ideal clients, having an appealing value proposition, all make a difference to your survival.
My Evolution
Since that first business, my focus has been on specialising in paid online advertising, which has led me to work with many global brands ranging from high-end fashion to airlines to hotel groups and charities.
Working in these big industries, I’ve learnt not all businesses understand who their ideal clients are. Surprisingly, when I ask business owners who their perfect client is, they say random things like men. Or anyone. Or accountants. Or people that want to travel. That’s too random. In a world that tracks every move people make, it’s easy (if you can get to the data) to be much more specific.
My passion has always been in the field of marketing. Every business is different and has different ways of marketing. My experience has helped me to add value by recognising quickly what works and what doesn’t. Often the answer is to simplify rather than add to the system.
An example of this was when I helped a global serviced-office provider to reduce the process for its customers to get more information. This small action helped to triple conversions for the company and led to them hiring new staff to handle the additional customer enquiries.
Family Man
My father taught me that the one constant in life is family. I am blessed with a very supportive wife and three beautiful children that I learn from every single day. They are the source of my determination, and why I get up every morning. For this, I am grateful.
Drop me a line!
I’m happy to discuss all things about your business with you, as long as it’s about marketing. Drop me a line!
