Before becoming a professional digital marketer, Stuart Davidson spent a lot of his time on the computer. He went from learning and socializing online to helping others promote their businesses using those same tools.
Currently, Davidson has a freelance marketing business, a web design business, and a professional blog where he shares resources on social media and marketing. He built that list of diverse offerings by focusing on each individual client. But he didn’t start out with the specific goal of becoming a social media marketer.
In fact, he started his career on the Internet not as a marketer at all but through involvement with online poker.
Lessons Learned About Business Through Poker
Before he ever decided to become a freelance social media marketer, Davidson attended Brunel University where he studied Business Management. It was there that his unlikely involvement with online poker began.
On his official website StuartJDavidson.com, he explains:
“Poker really helped me to develop my own time management, money management and analysis skills. I always knew I wanted to start my own business so this was a good platform to get my feet wet.”
While he was involved with online poker, he took part in a lot of social discussions and even guest posted on poker sites. It was there that he realized his potential for social marketing and began offering his services to others.
Adapting to Client Needs
Since social media is such a dynamic environment, Davidson found that his clients had very diverse goals and projects. By dedicating time to each one, he was able to build his skill set into what has become the wide range of services he offers today.
He was also able to build his business by word of mouth. He has never used paid advertising, and instead focuses on content marketing, networking and providing great service to each client.
Finding Like-Minded People on BizSugar
BizSugar has been a big part of that networking effort for Davidson. Since the community is focused on business professionals and entrepreneurs, it has provided value for his online marketing campaigns. And it also has allowed him to connect with other professionals in the business community. He says in an email:
“I use BizSugar to extend my online presence and network with like-minded people who operate in similar spaces.”
Stuart Davidson has an interesting background. I met financial trader, Victor Sperandeo, in Dallas in 1996. He started out his career with poker. He wrote about this in his book, Trader Vic – Methods of a Wall Street Master.
Agreed, Martin. It’s an interesting path into business. Thanks for the comment!