An entrepreneur who was laughed at for building websites now runs 17 companies and employs more than 300 people.
James Dooley, 42, from Manchester, began his career in construction before discovering the potential of digital marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO).
Now, Mr Dooley owns one of the UK’s largest lead generation businesses, FatRank.
He said: "I started out by building playgrounds, tennis courts and netball courts.
"I've grown that into a £10 million-a-year business.
"I didn't go to college thinking I was going to become a lead generation expert.
"It just happened through hustling."
Mr Dooley now employs more than 300 people and generates seven figures annually across his network of companies.
His journey into the digital world began more than 20 years ago.
Mr Dooley explained: "There are a lot of people who will say they understand what I do, but what they say and what they do are two completely different things.
"I'd say there's probably 99.9% of people in the industry that don't know what they're doing, which is scary.
"There can only be one number one spot and everyone's fighting for it."
Despite his financial success, Mr Dooley said he remains grounded, prioritising family and work-life balance.
He starts work at 4.20am every day but makes a point to be available for his children from 3pm to 7pm.
Mr Dooley said: "My brain never stops.
"But I always set aside 3pm until 7pm for my children.
"Staff know I'm unavailable during those times and then the evening is for my wife."
He attributes much of his business growth to the way he treats his staff, focusing on training and development rather than placing blame when things go wrong.
Mr Dooley said: "If something isn't working, I never blame staff.
"I always blame the processes and the internal training to give them every possible chance.
"That's key."
His approach has helped apprentices rise to director level within the company.
Mr Dooley said: "I have six directors and every single one started as an apprentice.
"They've all been with us for over 10 years and with great training they've all elevated into the best versions of themselves.
"I'm trying to shoulder the people from within and staff love my feedback.
"They see me do what I do and then realise the volume I expect from them is achievable.
"I always say in business and life, practice what you preach."
Reflecting on his journey, Mr Dooley said ignoring the doubters was one of the best decisions he ever made.
He said: "People laughed when I said I built websites for a living.
"They're not laughing now."
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