Looking back on ten years of innovation with Collabo Consulting

Bradley Higham shares lessons from a decade in digital marketing

— Photo courtesy of Collabo Consulting

When Bradley Higham was recognized as one of KootenayBiz's 40 Under 40 honourees a decade ago, Collabo Consulting was already earning a reputation for helping businesses grow through data-driven digital marketing. Since then, the industry has undergone seismic change, with the rise of remote consulting, increasing competition and, more recently, the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence reshaping how agencies operate.

Despite those shifts, Higham says Collabo's core philosophy has remained the same: combine analytical thinking with continuous learning to deliver measurable results for clients. In this follow-up interview, he reflects on the lessons learned over the past 10 years, how the company has adapted to an evolving marketplace, and where he sees both Collabo and the digital marketing industry heading next.

When you think back to where Collabo Consulting was 10 years ago, what stands out most to you?

Honestly, how fast it's gone. Ten years sounds like a long stretch when you're looking ahead at it, but when you're heads-down building a business and serving clients, you blink and a decade has passed. That speaks to how busy and fulfilling the work has been.

How has the company changed or evolved since we last spoke (services, clients, team, direction)?

Our core business model has proven incredibly resilient, allowing us to achieve roughly 30% annual growth consistently over the past decade. While our foundation remains search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC), we've evolved into a full-service digital marketing agency, expanding into comprehensive email marketing, social media management, and AI consulting. Launching PPC.ca has also been a highly effective lead magnet, helping us attract a diverse client base from across Canada.

What have been some of the biggest milestones or turning points along the way?

Securing the Collabo.com domain was a significant milestone. Upgrading from our original .co extension greatly improved brand recognition and eliminated domain confusion. Another recent highlight was celebrating our 15th year in business!

Beyond our own walls, I'm immensely proud of the community initiatives we've been involved in. We started and supported the Kootenay Tech and Knowledge Workers group in its early years, and seeing it flourish independently, now run by volunteers and sponsored by organizations like KAST, is incredibly rewarding. It has evolved into a vital resource for knowledge sharing and networking. We were also honoured to support the launch of the Selkirk Web Development program, helping nurture the next generation of local tech talent.

What have been some of the biggest challenges over the past decade?

The primary challenges have centred around the human element of the business: managing client expectations and recruiting highly qualified talent. We maintain exceptionally high standards for our employees and contractors. While the local talent pool in the Kootenays is limited in size, we've successfully navigated this by building a strong, distributed network of professionals across Canada.

Were there any moments that significantly tested the business or forced you to rethink your approach?

The COVID-19 pandemic was a massive testing ground. Businesses were forced to rapidly invest in their online presence, and combined with Canadian government funding for SMEs, we saw an unprecedented surge in demand. Because we were in lockdown with little else to do, our team took on a massive volume of work and put in incredibly long hours. While it was deeply rewarding to help so many businesses survive and grow during that critical time, the pace was ultimately unsustainable. Once lockdowns were lifted, it forced us to rethink our capacity and strategically limit the number of clients and projects we take on to ensure quality and team well-being.

What are some key lessons you've learned as a business owner during that time?

Two major lessons stand out:

Invest in the hiring process. Many tech companies subscribe to a "hire fast, fire fast" mentality. We've learned that onboarding, training, and knowledge transfer are highly
time-consuming and costly. It's far more effective to invest the time upfront to find the absolute right candidate. And once you've found the right person, do everything you can to keep them.

Know your value. It's crucial to consistently re-evaluate market pricing. Historically, we haven't raised our rates as quickly as our competitors, choosing instead to pass those savings on to our clients. In retrospect, as industry leaders with years of experience, we could have taken on fewer clients and worked fewer hours for the same revenue simply by charging what our expertise is truly worth.

How has the consulting industry changed in the past 10 years?

The landscape has shifted dramatically. On the positive side, remote consulting has become frictionless post-COVID. Businesses are fully equipped for and comfortable with virtual meetings.

However, as the digital marketing industry has matured, competition has skyrocketed. Many perceive online businesses as "easy" to run, which has flooded the market with imposters who make grandiose claims without the data or experience to back them up. Digital marketing is incredibly fast-paced and relies on immediate feedback compared to traditional marketing. That data-driven nature actually plays to Collabo's strengths, as we're highly analytical and execute with precision.

Most recently, AI has been a massive disruptor. While it's a powerful tool, it has also amplified scammers claiming instant expertise. We've navigated this by committing to
continuous education, developing our own tools, and collaborating with local AI experts right here in the Kootenay Tech group.

How has Collabo adapted to those changes?

We adapt by remaining lifelong learners and by building rather than just buying. Internally, we've developed our own tools for things like keyword research and competitive analysis, which lets us move faster and deliver better data than what's available off the shelf. On the AI side, we've created our own frameworks for AEO and AI search that we share with clients and implement directly into their strategies, so they're benefiting from approaches built on real testing rather than hype. Combined with our commitment to continuous education and consistently delivering verifiable ROI, that's how we differentiate ourselves from fleeting trends and fly-by-night agencies.

Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting again today?

While we're incredibly happy with Collabo's trajectory, the service industry is demanding, competitive, and time-intensive. If I were starting completely from scratch today, I'd build a productized PPC software platform aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. PPC is one of the highest-impact channels for SMEs, but the tools available are either too expensive, too complex, or built for enterprise teams. A purpose-built product for that segment would be much easier to scale than a service model and would let us help a far larger number of businesses than we ever could one client at a time.

What are your goals for the future?

Our primary goal is to continue doing what we do best: serving our clients and helping them achieve their business objectives. Beyond the day-to-day work, we're committed to continuing our educational outreach for business owners and supporting local youth interested in the tech field. Giving back remains a core value, and we look forward to continuing our contributions to charities through both financial donations and our time.