Creator of DrivenMedia, Ed Hollands (23)
One day, while in traffic, Ed Hollands had a “light bulb” moment. He saw three commercial trucks with completely blank sides and thought about how to utilize that space. The idea he came up with has made him a lot of money, 7,800 pounds per truck to be exact. On an average day in the UK, 55,000 people will view the advertisements that Hollands has placed on commercial vehicles. His startup, DrivenMedia, collects the, already mentioned, 7,800 pounds per vehicle plus VAT for a twelve month package. In addition to that, production costs for each vehicle is around 5,500 pounds. Hollands idea has proven to be very lucrative.
When questioned about his age, Hollands responded, “When making deals there have been some people who have doubted my capabilities because of my inexperience. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite, I am willing to bend over backwards to make opportunities work for my clients and investors.” He has taken on the stigma surrounding young entrepreneurs regarding experience and has flipped it on its head. Instead of focusing on the problem of inexperience, he has focused on his vision of innovating marketing in the UK. Traditionally, advertising done near transportation is on stationary platforms such as billboards. Hollands has innovated that industry by mobilizing advertisements. Companies now have the opportunity to advertise over a larger span of land, allowing for more people to view their advertisement.
Hollands has inspired me to think and work beyond the stigma that young people are too inexperienced. Rather than looking at that inexperience, I see youth as a new perspective to be brought to a situation. Clearly, Hollands displays self-belief in that he believes in himself and what he’s doing. He is motivated and is determined. His flexibility is displayed through his willingness to bend over backwards for his clients and investors. Hollands has found a niche in an industry for himself and has utilized his innovation to make money. His leadership and innovation are both impressive.
It is inspiring to see a young innovator take the initiative to push for a change in advertising. He also makes a good case that his age shouldn’t matter, but rather focus on the innovation of marketing.