The founder and CEO of Buckt, Daniel Bridgewater, the UK’s only tickets and activities subscription service, outlines his goal to see the Birmingham-born business expand into every major city in the country – and beyond
IT’S WHAT I DO
I’m very proud to be the founder and CEO of Buckt, a Birmingham-born business and the UK’s only tickets and activities subscription service. As the CEO, I’m responsible for the ultimate success of the business and ensuring we are growing in the right direction for our team and subscribers. On a day-to-day basis my role varies, from overseeing our marketing activity to growth and budget management and supporting staff, ensuring they feel happy within their role and able to perform to the best of their abilities.
WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE
Although I’m delighted to see Buckt’s impact on the leisure industry, I have ambitions to take the company to the next level. There are so many possibilities for the business and we’re already working on some amazing things.Starting in Birmingham, Buckt has expanded to four key locations nationally (Greater Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Merseyside and Greater Manchester). Our goal is to see the business gain a presence within every major city in the UK and then expand internationally. With our offering, we’re always adding new activities to the line-up, but we aspire to create our own attractions one day. Personally, I’m invested in engaging with the Birmingham business community over the coming year and am actively looking for board positions to volunteer time and help smaller organisations grow.
BIGGEST SUCCESS
Securing our first round of investment for Buckt was a huge success for me. From a young lad watching The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den, I’d always aspired to grow a business to a point where someone believed in it enough to invest money into it. Aside from Buckt, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive many opportunities, specifically related to my first business Fourth Wall and my involvement in the community. Fourth Wall is a social enterprise that runs projects with young people in disadvantaged communities. As a result of Fourth Wall, and my position as a trustee for leadership charity UpRising, I was invited to meet King Charles (then, Prince Charles) at Buckingham Palace. I also received a Point of Light Award from David Cameron and a following invitation to 10 Downing Street by Theresa May.
BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED
As an entrepreneur, you are constantly learning. My advice is, before starting a business, test as much as you can. People often jump into things without considering the end customers’ needs. Ask yourself, do they have a problem that your product is trying to solve? If the answer is no, start again.
One of my biggest lessons has been deciding when to say ‘no’ or to give something up, and when to push forward with an idea. Sometimes taking calculated risks is necessary to propel a business forward — it’s safe to say I probably wasted two years just playing it safe with Buckt.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BRUM
Birmingham was once ‘the city of a thousand trades’. Now I see it as the city of a thousand opportunities. The city is big enough to offer opportunities, but small enough that you can have a real impact. Big enough that you can always find what you’re looking for, but small enough that you can build meaningful cross-sector relationships. More tangibly, I was born, raised, educated, in employment and now run a business in this city — Birmingham has always been my home.
DOWNTIME
As someone whose brain is always going 100-miles-an-hour, watching a good film or TV series is the perfect way to help me switch off and chill out. I’ve recently got back into football and of course… I love doing fun leisure activities! I participate in Buckt activities as often as I can and I’m always trying new things.