From City lawyer to online bargain hunter...!

A very tanned Jim with his wife in his new home; The South of France. 

Ex - lawyer Jim Brough quit his City - based job to build www.BragItUp.com - a website which tracks down the top ten fashion finds each week and release them every Thursday. BragItUp also sends dedicated emails to its subscribers listing all of the best sales, voucher codes and deals... The website works by finding the best deals out there so that gift buyers don't have to do too much trawling around ( thus perfect for busy lawyers.)

This Autumn (November 09), he launched the man's version called: The Men Ten, which encompasses gadgets, gizmos and mens fashion...We talk to him about his career change,  move to the South of France, and the motives behind the fortitude...

You practiced as a lawyer in a top City firm. When did you decide to take the plunge, give up law and set up your own business?

It was early 2005, as my son, George, was approaching his 1st birthday. I wasn't getting to spend as much time with him or my wife, as I wanted. After the birth of George, my wife, CJ, had set-up as a freelance PR expert and she was attracting more and more clients. Working as a corporate lawyer I realised that I wanted to run my own company rather than sorting out other people's!

It was a very quick decision to quit the law and CJ was totally supportive. We set-up our office at home in Wimbledon, and after a few months wanted a bigger challenge overseas. We found that Wimbledon, or London in general, was not particularly conducive to bringing up a child, and wanted to give him a better quality of life. So, we did an internet search for a house by the sea with broadband and came up with a house in Port Vendres which is 30 mins south of Perpignan. We remained in London until the end of 2005, when we moved to the south of France.

How did you come up with the idea for Brag it Up?

My wife used to work in-house for a data agency, and we have always tried to impress upon our clients the importance of a strong database and what a valuable asset it is. Whilst watching programmes like Dragon's Den and talking, half-jokingly, with friends about how we were going to make our fortunes, I came up with the idea of BragItUp.com, and how it would depend upon having a good list of subscribers. I don't want to give all of our secrets away, but it has evolved slightly from how we initially wanted to monetise it.

We currently have a database of just over 25,000 which has been grown in a variety of different ways. The most effective, in responsiveness, being media coverage. Running a PR agency it is good news that this has been confirmed to us!

Do you have any regrets about leaving your job at a top City Firm? Is there anything that you miss in particular?

I miss the camerarderie with the other associates and one of the partners in particular, who is just about to retire, was an inspiration. I also really enjoyed the annual trips to Minneapolis (our firm's headquarters) for the summer and Britpop parties they would throw. It was great to meet our American counterparts and see another part of the world (as well as, what was, the biggest shopping mall in the world!!). 

What are the most positive aspects of owning your own business?

The most positive aspects of running your own business are the flexibility it affords you and knowing that the work you do has a direct impact on what you earn. There is also no clock-watching, in fact the reverse is normally true - there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done - there is always something to do. One of the most important and positive aspects is making decisions on spending. With BragItUp.com this spending is all to do with boosting traffic numbers and sign-ups. Since we are a very small business we have to monitor everything we do, and everything has to have a beneficial effect.

With the advances in technology, notably the clarity of calls over the internet, we can also live virtually anywhere we want to.

What are the worst aspects of owning your own business?

Chasing unpaid bills are a waste of my time which could be better spent doing something productive.

What did your typical day look like when you worked as a lawyer and how does it differ from your typical day now?

In London, I would usually get into work for about 9am and leave at approx 6:30pm, relatively good hours for lawyers. However, I would say at least once a week I would have to work until 10pm or later. However, the days were fairly intense - trying to cram in all of the work that needed doing (and then find time to do the professional points/hours). Getting in and out of the City would usually involve either a packed tube or overground train. Nowadays, I take my son to his French school for 8:50am and pick him up again at 4:50pm. They have 2 hours for lunch and a little doze afterwards, so its not as full-on as it sounds. Whilst he is there we are sourcing deals for BragItUp and going through everything that various PR companies and retailers are sending us. We will often go for a walk on our nearby beaches or just down to the port.

We have also just launched the man's and children's version - The Men Ten and The Tot Ten respectively, which has involved additional work in setting up various webpages, contacting journalists for media coverage, and additional spending on advertising. Now when I work until Midnight I actually enjoy it, as I know we will see the benefits directly.

Did you have lots of support from friends and family or were they sceptical about you leaving such a well-paid, established profession?

Both familes, my wife's and mine, were extremely supportive. We just explained to both of them what we were planning to do, why we were doing it and how we were going to go about it. My father set up his own business so could understand why I wanted to do the same. We did it without any financial help, and I think some people couldn't understand how we could move to France and set up a business without such help.

What advice would you give those wanting to set up their own business?

It is always more work and more expensive than you think it is going to be. If possible, find other people to share the workload. This could involve a PR agency, a web designer, an accountant - just shop, and ask, around to make sure you are getting a good deal.

A second tip would be to monitor everything, Google Analytics is particularly good for this. That way you can see your return on investment, or what works most effectively.

Do you think your legal training and experience helped you be where you are now?

My legal training definitely helped. My wife and I are a good team, but I am the analytical one (probably from my legal training) and, I think, is a good counter-balance to my wife's creativity and impulse to go too quickly. It also helps me see an overview of BragItUp.com, at any one time, so I know how various parts of the business are functioning together as a whole.

From an obvious point of view my training also meant I knew how to set up a company and all of the legal requirements that entails (filing forms, annual returns and accounts). My legal training certainly helps when chasing late invoices.

Interview with Vanessa Wozniak - check out: www.BragItUp.com