My name is Ben Poulton and I am an SEO consultant with over 11 years of experience working in both client-side and agency roles, and now as an agency owner. In April 2022 I founded Intellar, a specialist SEO agency based in Sydney, Australia. I have been through all runs of the SEO ladder, from intern to agency owner. During this time I’ve worked with some incredible people and businesses, learning a lot along the way. From this, I can bring clients a deep understanding of SEO, niche tactics, and industry knowledge. I established Intellar to bring scalable, custom, and highly targeted SEO solutions to businesses of all sizes. I use SEO to influence marketing direction, educate companies on the value of SEO for business growth, and demonstrate how SEO compliments many marketing channels.
Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up
I grew up on Sydney’s North Shore and have lived here my whole life. I had a great childhood and have been fortunate enough to have kept the same friendship group since primary school. I have heavily involved in sports my whole childhood and into adulthood too. As a kid born in the 1990s, I grew up with a new wave of technology. I believe this sparked my interest in the digital world.
How did you get started as an entrepreneur?
I got started as an entrepreneur after I identified a market need for a different type of SEO solution. I also had always been interested in starting my own business, and when I saw a market gap that I could fill, I knew it was time to take the leap. Taking the leap was a combination of backing myself and networking. I knew SEO was an in-demand solution, so I wasn’t too concerned about there being a lack of work out there. COVID also forced many businesses to go online, or ramp up their online advertising efforts. As such, I saw the demand for SEO increasing and felt confident enough that I could pick up some of that work myself.
What is one business lesson you would tell a startup founder?
Sort out all the legalities and admin early. If you are new to running a business, spend the time and money to – Set up your business entity, and register your trademarks and brand name. You may love a brand name you came up with, but it or a close variant is already registered. Don’t start your brand journey before you do this. – Get an accountant and accounting software. This will help you keep track of income, expenses, tax, and invoicing. Very important! – Create a profit and loss sheet. This will help you visualize your income and expenses. Doing so allows you to properly plan for growth.
