Interview with Carlos Da Silva | Founder of Finsbury Media

Written by True Tamplin, BSc, CEPF®

Reviewed by Subject Matter Experts

Updated on March 21, 2023

Carlos Da Silva | Founder of Finsbury Media

Introduction

Success leaves clues.

Finance Strategists sat down with Carlos Da Silva, founder of Finsbury Media. He shared his thoughts on the past, present, and future of the company, as well as the insights he has gained from running the business.

Who is Carlos Da Silva?

Q: Who are you and what’s your background?

I am a tech entrepreneur, born in Portugal and raised in New York, I built my company from the ground up. We now have six offices in three countries and employ over 50 people with an annual turnover of more than £5 million. I’ve been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year and my business has grown significantly, winning many awards through the years. I moved to the UK in my twenties and always had a goal to set up my own business.

My first role was in a publicly listed agency, but I saw there could be improvements in what they were doing, particularly using technology to report on results and the return on investment.

I decided early on that I could take the agency model and turn it on its head. I’ve built a team around me who share my passion for success, and we are on this journey together.

Q: Who has been your biggest influence, and why did they have such a significant effect on you?

There are three influences that have shaped my business life.

The greatest influence is my father. From a young age, he has always instilled in me the importance of hard work. He had an incredible work ethic and it rubbed off on me.

Anthony Robbins helped me achieve a positive mental attitude, allowing me to believe that with the right idea, work ethic, and focus all my goals would become a reality. He taught me to trust the process and believe in myself.

Steve Jobs showed that to launch a product you need to not only consider the design and marketing but create something that solves problems and makes people’s lives better and easier. This is the same for a digital product or agency. It’s a great mantra to adopt.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell myself to continue doing what I always set out to do – be successful. I am very motivated to be the best version of myself – I’m fearless and don’t shy away from making tough decisions. No goal in business is too big, and real success has no upper limit.

I think it’s always important to have fun on the journey – as the goal is not just the result.

Business

Q: What is Finsbury Media?

Finsbury Media was conceived as a vehicle to test our technology platform that maximizes the return on your online advertising. Finsbury was designed as a proof of concept to show VCs how successful and powerful the software we use is. The platform became so successful that it ended up being our core business.

We manage digital campaigns for companies large and small across the UK and Europe and license our technology to other agencies who can benefit from offering it to their clients.

Q: What makes Finsbury Media different from its competitors?

It’s simple. Our technology and our people.

We have the best tracking and optimization software in the market. Our technology separates us from most digital agencies allowing us to get the best possible return for our clients. My team is also composed of some of the best digital superstars and account managers. It is these two reasons that draw people to our services.

Q: What led you to start Finsbury Media?

Firstly, I’ve always wanted to run my own business. I’ve seen companies make the wrong move and make bad calls. I knew I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

Once we had built our tech (which took nearly 3 years), we approached Venture Capitalists for funding. They wanted proof it worked. After building our tech, we ran online campaigns for 20 clients. The results were phenomenal, so rather than look for outside funding we used this new model to grow the business and did the marketing for another ten clients each month. We now have over 400 clients and manage campaigns across the world.

Q: What has the experience of building the business taught you?

I don’t think there is one simple answer to this. Firstly, have the right people around you and secondly have the right product. Both take time.

Some people think that we are an overnight success – far from it. Hard work starts long before you see real success.

Your eyes need to remain on the goal, you must learn to trust your instincts – you’ll learn to take risks, accept new challenges, and build your processes.

Q: Where do you see things headed for you and the company in the next five years?

Things are looking good for the team at Finsbury Media. More growth and becoming even more of a source of knowledge for businesses in the UK. I see our staff becoming industry leaders and I see our technology continuing to evolve across other digital channels.

As I remind my team, to work hard, stay hungry, and remember to be great.

For more information visit: finsburymedia.com

About the Author

True Tamplin, BSc, CEPF®

True Tamplin is a published author, public speaker, CEO of UpDigital, and founder of Finance Strategists.

True is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF®), author of The Handy Financial Ratios Guide, a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, contributes to his financial education site, Finance Strategists, and has spoken to various financial communities such as the CFA Institute, as well as university students like his Alma mater, Biola University, where he received a bachelor of science in business and data analytics.

To learn more about True, visit his personal website or view his author profiles on Amazon, Nasdaq and Forbes.