This time, we sit down with Lewis Kemp, founder and CEO of Lightbulb Media, to discuss scaling brands, the power of copy, and why naivety can sometimes be an entrepreneur’s greatest asset.

Building Brands That Scale

“We’re a creative advertising agency,” Lewis explains. “We create adverts, content, and copy for brands that want to scale online—mainly to seven, eight, and sometimes nine figures if we do it really well.”

But it’s not just about flashy ads and eye-catching content. At Lightbulb Media, the focus is on strategy first. “A lot of businesses struggle because they try to be all things to all people,” he says. “We go in and do the hard work upfront—understanding their audience, nailing down their pain points, and making sure they’re actually making money before they even think about running ads.”

It’s this business-first approach that has seen Lightbulb evolve from being ‘just an advertising agency’ to a trusted partner in strategic growth. “We’re more like unofficial business advisors now. We have to have the ugly conversations about margins and break-even points because, without that, you’re just treading water.”

From Door Knocking to Digital Marketing

Like many entrepreneurs, Lewis’ journey started with rejection—quite literally. “I was terrible at sales,” he laughs. “I lasted an hour in hospitality, then did door-knocking in Salford where I was told to F off 99 times a day. Builds resilience, though.”

Realising traditional sales wasn’t for him, he pivoted into email and telemarketing before naturally transitioning into social media as the industry evolved. After working agency-side and becoming Head of Digital, he took the leap to launch Lightbulb Media six and a half years ago. “I just thought I could do things better. And I wanted to take full control of my own success—or failure.”

Today, Lightbulb has grown to a team of ten, though Lewis admits his perspective on growth has shifted. “When you start out, you dream of a 120-person agency with a slide and a ball pit. Then you realise people are the most stressful and expensive thing in your life. Now, we focus on keeping the team small, doing great work for great clients, and scaling deeper rather than wider.”

A Big Goal – And a Bigger Achievement

For Lewis, business isn’t just about revenue—it’s about personal milestones. “My proudest moment? Retiring my mum,” he says without hesitation. “I told her when I started the business I’d retire her in five years. It took five and a half, so slightly behind schedule, but we got there.”

“My proudest moment? Retiring my mum.”

That personal motivation kept him going through the tough early years. “In year one and two, nobody likes you, nobody cares, and nobody’s paying you. Having a big, scary personal goal keeps you getting up in the morning.”

So, what’s next? “I’m trying to retire my dad, but he’s a Northern bloke in his 60s who loves to stay busy. Maybe I’ll buy something for myself at some point,” he jokes.

The Challenges of Growth

Every entrepreneur faces hurdles, and for Lewis, recruitment has been a major one. “Anyone can say the right things in an interview, but real players show initiative when things go wrong. They’re proactive, not reactive. Finding those people is tough.”

Another challenge? Helping founders get out of their own way. “Nobody wants to hear they have an ugly baby. But if you want to grow a business, you have to be willing to have those uncomfortable conversations. If you can’t, you don’t have a business—you have a hobby.”

Scaling Smart: The Next Chapter

With no interest in becoming a massive agency, Lewis’ focus is on working with fewer clients but having a deeper impact. “We want to be embedded as growth partners, working across multiple services for a small number of high-quality clients. We’re not interested in doing half of one thing badly for 50 people—we’d rather do five things really well for 20.”

His philosophy is clear: “I don’t want us to be chasing business”.

“If we do good work, the right people will find us”

What He Can Offer – And What He Needs

With Lightbulb Media’s success built entirely on inbound marketing—without a single ad—Lewis has a lot to share about writing and content strategy. “Writing online is such a powerful tool,” he says. “It’s something a lot of people struggle with, especially if they’ve come from corporate backgrounds where creativity has been crushed out of them. I can help with that.”

As for what he’s looking for? “We always need insights from different industries—things that impact B2B, regulation changes, compliance issues. We know how to be creative and get attention, but we need to know what we can say to keep our clients on the right side of the law.”

Life Beyond Work

Despite the demands of running a business, Lewis tries to make time for the things he enjoys. “Eating is a great hobby,” he laughs. “Travel too. I never got to do the whole ‘gap year, find myself’ thing because I couldn’t afford it. Now I can, so I want to do it properly.”

And football? “I tried to get back into five-a-side, but I think I was washing my hair that day.”

No Shortcuts – Just Hard Work

When it comes to advice, Lewis doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Don’t complain about the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do,” he says. “So many people expect things to be handed to them. The reality is, if you want something, you’ll find a way. Nobody’s coming to save you—not the government, not your friends. If you don’t have money behind you, you just have to outwork everyone.”

For someone who started out being rejected on doorsteps, built a business from scratch, and changed his family’s life along the way, that advice carries weight.

Want to Connect?

Lewis is active on LinkedIn—though he warns, “Don’t follow me if you’re easily offended.” You can also find him at Lightbulb Media or check out The University of Creative Ideas at joinUCI.com.

From starting a business with no safety net to scaling brands into the millions, Lewis Kemp’s journey is a testament to resilience, hard work, and knowing when to have the tough conversations. If you’re looking for someone who can help you scale your brand—or just give you a brutally honest reality check—he’s your guy.