Follow your (direct marketing) dreams!

?If you want to be successful in 2013 the answer is simple; follow your dreams.

That?s the advice of UK-based businessman Tony Abbott (pictured), whose direct marketing company, Reactiv, went from strength-to-strength last year.

Abbott had a dream to set up his own company, despite moving from London to Yorkshire with just ?300 in his pocket in 1994. He didn?t let lack of funds hold him back, and now he has a business that turns over in excess of six million pounds a year.

Last year was his most successful to date. Despite the country still being in a recession, his turnover went up 36 per cent; he took on 50 new staff and opened a ?250,000 new call centre. He was also named Britain?s Best Boss, and won several awards, he even managed to set up his own charity, Heartbeat of Sport, which gained him recognition on the internet, TV and in several newspapers.

Abbott says the secret to his success is aiming high, always having a goal to aspire to and having a positive attitude. ?I?ve lived my life following my dreams and it?s never let me down. I?ve always had a list of around 10 dreams which take into account my business, my family, my health and my sporting hobbies. One of them is to build something to be proud of and that?s Reactiv. We have come through tough times but have got there in the end. It?s been hard work but well worth it,? he sayid.

The 41-year-old set up Reactiv five years ago with just 12 staff at its headquarters in Gas Works Lane, Elland, near Halifax. The company now employs 250 staff at HQ and a nearby call centre and Abbott has plans to take on another 50 staff early this year.

His ambition is to make Reactiv a market leader in direct marketing and it is already on its way. Reactiv has released more apps for the iStore than any other UK developer and a new direct marketing tool called Activ Responders is to be launched onto the market this year. The company says it will be the first of its kind in the country and will provide companies with the most up-to-date data available today.

Tony Abbott believes in sharing his success with the people he cares about ? his colleagues and the local community. Last year he decided to give something back and agreed to put a six-figure sum into Halifax Rugby League Football Club?s coffers for this season. He joined the club two years ago and is now a director; the deal is thought to be the biggest in the Co-operative Championship.

He didn?t stop there ? he was named as Britain?s Best Boss last year after inviting his staff to their annual summer conference and surprising 26 of them by making their dreams come true. Before the event they filled out a `wish list? thinking it was a team-building exercise. Tony asked a panel of workers to help him decide which wishes to grant. He spent more than ?20,000 of his own money on gifts for staff; along with requests for helicopter lessons, UGG boots, a 3D TV, a diamond ring and driving fast cars around a track ? plus a wish from Adele Green whose eldest son, Joe, 12, has an incurable heart condition. She and her husband, Matthew, dreamed of taking Joe and their four other children to Disney World in Florida while he was still healthy enough, and last summer they had their trip-of-a-lifetime holiday.
Abbott, a big sports fan, then set up Heartbeat of Sport. He made a 500 mile-round trip to watch his beloved football team, Tottenham Hotspur play Bolton at White Heart Lane and witnessed Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapse on the pitch.

The 24-year-old former footballer suffered a cardiac arrest and claims he owes his life to the quick actions of the medical team. Doctors said he was ?in effect? dead for 78 minutes. He was given 15 defibrillator shocks before his heart started beating again.

Abbott wanted to turn the tragedy into something positive and set up the charity to raise the profile of the life-threatening condition Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) which claims the lives of 250 people a day in the UK. Heartbeat of Sport?s goal is to educate and empower people to act during an emergency. It plans to work closely with both amateur and professional sports clubs and sporting organisations, at a local level and then in time, nationally.

Not surprisingly, Tony Abbott picked up two awards at the end of last year for Employer of the Year and Business Person of the Year at a business awards event in Halifax. He said it was the culmination of an exciting and rewarding year and he was overwhelmed to have been recognised.

Rather than rest on his laurels, he?s going all out to make 2013 even more amazing ? his dreams include Halifax RLFC winning Super League, Tottenham winning the league, spreading the word and raising money for Heartbeat of Sport and making Reactiv even more successful than it is today. ?Watch this space,? he says.

Source: http://the-gma.com/archives/follow-your-direct-marketing-dreams

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