About Toby…

I am an entrepreneur and ethical investor based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK,
with 20+ years of experience in digital and online marketing, consulting, training and events.

I have a passion for leveraging technology and innovation to help people,
connect communities, solve problems, drive growth, and create value.

Throughout my career, I have founded and led various ventures
that empower individuals, organisations, businesses and communities.

See My Latest Ventures Here

Previous & Ongoing Ventures

WP Courses

Web Design Training Courses across the UK
Founder & Owner (2011 – Present)

Founder of the UK’s leading WordPress training organization:

  • Founded and established the first UK business to run regular weekly WordPress training courses in 2011.
  • Trained over 5,000 individuals through more than 750 public courses across 10 UK towns and cities, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Norwich and Brighton.
  • Provided bespoke, on-site, in-house, and remote/online training nationally and internationally.
  • Clients included NHS, BBC, University College London, Cambridge University, Cancer Research UK, and many others.
  • Achieved exceptional feedback from clients so that word of mouth together with top organic rankings in Google, allowed ad spend to be reduced to almost zero.
    …

Shift of Focus Into Investing

  • COVID Lockdowns in early 2020 put an end to the live courses running around the UK. The courses moved online.
  • Early adopters and advocators of Zoom. Long before Covid, we used Zoom for all remote WordPress training, recommending it to clients and associates.
  • Early investor into Zoom. In February 2020, seeing where Covid was heading, Toby made a substantial, high-risk investment of multiple years of profits and savings, all into Zoom Video Communications, along with numerous other strategic investments in response to the pandemic.
  • Other pandemic-related investments included Moderna, the world’s most promising developers of mRNA vaccines, crucial in the fight against Covid. Toby “followed the science”… it took 15 years, but that random degree in Biology from 2005… finally paid off!

After ten years of running WP Courses, I lost my passion for it and wanted a new challenge. I invested myself into investing, full time. My wife gave birth to our second child in January 2020 and Covid chaos aside, it was great being around at home that year of lockdown, her on parental leave, me WFH, investing and spending time as a family.

Stock Market Investing

Focused on ethical investing
Self-managed Porftolio (2003 – onwards)

  • Consistently focused on US Tech, AI, Green Tech, Solar and EV sectors
  • Expertise in Value Investing and Growth Investing. Occasional forays into Swing Trading, with mixed success!
  • Upon turning 18, I learned my grandfather had invested £50 in my name into National Grid when I was born in 1982.
  • Learning this had gone up ten fold, my obsession with the stock market was born.
  • I later discovered if he’d put that £50 into Apple in 1982, the compounding would have upped it 5000-fold by now and be worth £250k. My interest in US Tech stocks was born!
  • At 19, I took a year out between school & uni. I worked and saved for 8 months, then travelled for 6.
  • Having lived frugally to the extreme while both working and travelling, I found I had enough left over from my travels to begin investing in the stock market directly.
  • I began in 2003 with managed funds, but I found even the most celebrated fund managers always got greedy, complacent and wreckless eventually… pure hubris. Indexes, dartboards and typing monkeys all outperform most fund managers! Why should I pay them 1%+ to have all the fun, picking the stocks. I knew I could do better myself!
  • I also wanted to invest directly in these sexy new US tech stocks like Amazon, Google and eBay. I could not believe that anyone could just buy these stocks… and so cheaply… it seemed too good to be true. Why wasn’t everyone doing this?
  • So many peers and friends seemed to “waste” hundreds each month on Starbucks coffees, black cabs, overpriced wine & cocktail bars, credit card debts, gym memberships, etc. I walked/cycled, made thermos coffees, ate packed lunches, bought reduced-to-clear groceries, cooked and entertained friends at home, jogged for free in my local park, etc. I put everything I could into the stock market.
  • Eventually I withdrew everything from funds and started buying specific stocks directly, mostly US Tech.
  • I have tried dozens of research tools, investment strategies and trading platforms over the last 20 years.
  • I now use just a few platforms like IG, Interactive Investor, eToro, and Trading212.
  • I research stocks using tools like Seeking Alpha, Motley Fool, TYKR, Morningstar and Simply Wall Street.
  • I also use some other random websites and tools, like Google Trends, Google Keywords Tools, Reddit, Quora, etc to get ideas. I have a wealth of investing advice here.
SEO Web Designs

Digital Consultancy… and Umbrella for Numerous — mostly failed! — Ventures
Founder & Director (2006 – Present)

  • Managed a portfolio of over 150 websites, specializing in WordPress development, SEO, and PPC.
  • Offered freelance web design, online marketing consultancy, and affiliate marketing services.
  • Developed numerous ventures, including:
    • GoodLocalPlumbers.co.uk: A network promoting over 600 plumbers across the UK.
    • ContinuousInks.co.uk: An affiliate marketing website selling continuous ink supply systems for inkjet printers.
    • SpeedDatingDiary.co.uk: Aggregated listings of all speed dating and singles events across the UK.
    • The London Wedding Photographer: Professionally photographed over 20 weddings.
Spinning Tops

Ecommerce & Importing
Founder (2010-2013)

  • Correctly predicted increased demand for corporate-style spinning tops, inspired by their use by Leonardo DiCaprio as a “totem”, a crucial plot device, in the 2010 movie “Inception“.
  • In July 2010, the day after seeing the film, Toby setup a simple eCommerce website using WordPress, called SpinningTops.co.uk.
  • After numerous quotes from precision machinists in the UK, got the tops manufactured to spec in China.
  • Sold over 2000 units of corporate-style spinning tops within the first year.
  • As the movie became old news, demand naturally declined and WP Courses took off, so operations ceased.
  • Three years later, in 2013, a Kickstarter-funded copycat rival formed called ForeverSpin. Premium quality, precision engineered, using a choice of high-value metals. Admittedly, a vastly superior business, operation, website and product! Still going strong today.
WhenTheMusicStops.com

Speed Dating & Singles Events Franchise
Head of Online Marketing & Franchise Development (2007 – 2011)

  • Expanded the UK’s largest dating franchise from 12 locations to over 40 across England, Scotland, and Wales.
  • Launched the company’s first speed dating and singles events in 18 new locations, including major cities like London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.
  • Recruited and trained event coordinators and promotional staff nationwide.
  • Negotiated joint ventures and deals with national chains like Luminar plc, La Tasca, Tiger Tiger, and Pitcher & Piano.
  • Led online marketing efforts, including SEO, PPC, and CPM campaigns with Google, Facebook, YouTube, and various media networks.
  • Overhauled the company’s branding, website design, and usability to enhance user experience and conversion rates.
IT & Web Entrepreneurship
  • Passionate about AI, small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurship.
  • Provide WordPress design, consulting, and training through WP Courses.
  • Leverage tools like Astra, Genesis, and Yoast for optimal web solutions.
Interests & Passions
  • Environment & Green Technology – Advocate for sustainable practices and green innovations.
  • Science & Space – Enthusiast of scientific advancements and space exploration.
  • Artificial Intelligence – Extensive use of AI tools like ChatGPT to drive efficiency and innovation.
Skills & Expertise
  • WordPress Development
  • Online Marketing (SEO, PPC, UX & Analytics)
  • Training & Courses
  • Event Management
  • Innovation & Fresh Thinking
  • Copywriting & Design
  • Sales & Business Development
  • Systems & Processes
  • Franchising

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