Agam Berry is a serial entrepreneur with a strong background in digital advertising, where he uses a sharp knowledge of analytics and direct response advertising to grow many e-commerce endeavors. Today, he applies his decades of digital advertising experience to present to consumers unique and interesting products to solve problems in their daily lives.
He graduated from Punjab University in 2010 and enjoys chess, reading motivational books, and researching cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, in his spare time. He regularly journals his thoughts on cryptocurrency and business on his site Agam-Berry.com.
We recently had the chance to sit down with Agam Berry and discuss what has made him into the successful man he has become.
1.What was your favorite subject in school?
I would have to say economics and psychology. Everything comes down to human behavior, especially purchasing decisions. I love seeing the emergence of behavioral economics today too as it influences all aspects of business and advertising. It combines economic theory with psychology which is honestly the most exciting shift that has happened in economics in a very long time.
2. What was your first job?
I was lucky enough to break into my chosen field as soon as I graduated college. I realized that webmasters weren’t selling all of their advertising slots, so I instituted a direct response campaign backed by analytics to help them sell off their inventory. This helped them reach their full revenue potential while establishing my name in the digital advertising arena, so I’d say that it was a win-win.
3. Where and how did you first get into the industry you currently work in?
Didn’t I just answer that? (Laughs) I suppose I can add that any good marketing campaign is rooted in data and numbers, two things that I have always been fond of. I went looking for a career that would allow me to work with numbers on a daily basis, and found it with analyzing data to interpret how consumers buy online.
4. How have these jobs prepared you for what you do now?
I consulted with a variety of businesses on how they can improve their digital presence, leveraging what I have learned in the years I have spent working in the digital space. I keep data as the focal point of my businesses to generate growth. I could not be where I am today without an appreciation for the numbers. The numbers never lie!
5. Can you describe the best day of work you’ve ever had?
A couple of years ago, the founders of a company I worked with sold their business for an eight-figure sum. You read about transactions like that all the time, but seeing it happen to people you worked so closely with added a surreal quality to it.
6. How do you keep yourself motivated?
Part of it is that I am legitimately interested in everything that I do. For example, I have become an ardent supporter of cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and devour everything about them that I can get my hands on. I’m bullish on the benefits that these decentralized currencies offer that I don’t really need to motivate myself to get involved. It’s a natural fit for me.
The underlying blockchain technology that these digital currencies use is here to stay.
7. What kind of business ideas excite you most?
The blockchain is the most exciting idea I have heard in a long time. This decentralized ledger records cryptocurrency transactions today, but in the future it can keep track of medical records, supply chains, and even allow the development of “smart contracts” that automatically execute themselves when certain conditions are met. It will revolutionize the business world as we know it!
8. Have you ever tried any unorthodox techniques to attract attention to your business?
Many people benefit by purchasing tickets to conferences in their industry, but I have found numerous clients by hanging outside of the building housing the event. You bump into the same people and establish the same connections for free!
9. What personal achievement are you most proud of?
In early 2014, I convinced my accountant to accept payment in Bitcoin, a remarkable achievement considering the state of the industry at that time. That was so fun!
10. What wisdom would you have liked to share with yourself when you first started out?
I wouldn’t want to change too much, but I would have loved to master the art of negotiation at an earlier age. It has so many applications, but practice is the only way to get better at it. There are many opportunities to practice in everyday life that you just don’t notice in the moment, and I wish I searched harder for them.