From school gates to global growth: A very different Black Friday

Earlier this year, digital marketing agency Alphageek Digital welcomed former headteacher Tim Brogan as its managing director, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for this fast-growing business.

One of its busiest times of the year is today – Black Friday. Here, in his own words, Tim explains how he is applying the leadership lessons he learned in the world of education to help Alphageek excel.

Black Friday reveals the strength of a business. Its preparation, its people and its ability to turn strategy into results. It rewards discipline and punishes chaos.

And despite its modern reputation for sitewide sales and discount codes, its roots stretch far deeper than most realise.

Long before it became the global retail phenomenon we know today, the term Black Friday was muttered with dread by Philadelphia police officers in the 1950s.

The day after Thanksgiving brought unmanageable crowds, gridlocked streets and a level of chaos that made the name stick.

Retailers noticed the opportunity and shoppers saw the bargains. And accountants spotted something even more meaningful. It was often the moment a company’s books finally shifted from red into black.

By the 2000s, Black Friday had become something else entirely – a moment of scale, speed and intensity, capable of defining an entire commercial year.

Last year, my Black Friday looked very different. I was using data and dashboards too, but to improve academic outcomes and a school community rather than scaling global campaigns.

I was a headteacher managing school improvement plans, leading community events, and constantly finding creative ways to connect families because in many ways, I’d always been in marketing – just marketing my schools instead of commercial brands.

Black Friday was something happening in a different world – fascinating, but far from my own.

Twelve months later, everything has changed. This year, I am leading from the heart of the operation.

Now as managing director of Alphageek, a Derby-born performance marketing agency, our team have spent nearly £1 million in Black Friday ad spend for our partners in Derby, across the UK, Europe, the US and MENA.

It has been our strongest Black Friday yet, not because the weekend was kind to us, but because we were prepared.

And through all the dashboards and data, one truth has stood out above the rest: Excellence is never luck. It is engineered.

A Strategic Black Friday – Powered by People, Data and AI

Black Friday has matured. It is no longer a scramble for attention. Instead, it is a disciplined operation.

The companies winning today are those that prepare early, build full-funnel systems and lead generation campaigns, and combine human creativity with the accelerated insights of AI.

And nowhere has that been clearer than inside Alphageek this year.

What has impressed me is the control. Everything prepped and deliberate.

AI has enabled efficiency, sharpened our decision-making, helped us learn faster, forecast more accurately, and respond with precision.

But the real magic comes from our strategists. From their judgement, their creativity and their ability to adapt. That combination is taking us to a new level.

Of course, the Black Friday season has still delivered its curveballs. It always does. But readiness, strategy and alignment have carried us.

And that’s where my journey into this world really begins.

From Headteacher to Managing Director

People often ask how you go from leading a school to running a global performance agency. The answer is simpler than it sounds. The fundamentals of leadership don’t change – only the context does.

Leading in a school teaches you about vision, values, community and courage.

It teaches you that leaders don’t sit above the team – they stand among them.

They show you what it means to make decisions under pressure and under scrutiny, to support people in their moments of challenge, and to build environments where excellence is normal, and everyone feels part of something bigger.

I spent years driving school improvement, managing £2 million-plus in budget spend, leading infrastructure projects worth more than £750,000, building volunteer networks that raised £10,000 to £20,000  each year, and launching community social networking channels that connected us to families and other schools across the region and beyond.

Without realising it, I had been a marketer all along – telling stories, building trust, and showcasing the best of our community.

So, when the opportunity to join Alphageek resurfaced, the step didn’t feel like a leap into the unknown. It felt like the next logical chapter. Same principles. Different sector.

The Leadership Readiness Moment

The first conversation about me joining Alphageek actually happened four years ago. But it wasn’t the right time, neither for me, nor the business.

I needed to grow as a leader. And the agency still needed to mature as an organisation.

Alphageek needed time to evolve from a high-energy start-up to a company ready for structure, clarity and long-term discipline.

Eighteen months ago, things shifted. Alphageek had grown. I had grown.

And suddenly, the timing was right.

By February, the four of us – Art, Alex, Kieran and I – sat together and realised something important: our ambition matched, our pace matched and our vision matched.

It was finally time to build the next era of Alphageek together.

A Culture Built on Values

Since stepping into the role of managing director, my focus has been on observing, listening and learning, whilst at the same time strengthening our systems, refining our processes and shaping a culture built for long-term, sustainable growth.

What has inspired me is seeing how the team are aligned to our values – values that are the backbone of everything we do:

Do the right thing

For our partners. For our people. Even when no one is watching.

Fly in formation

No lone wolves. No egos. Just a team moving with shared purpose.

Stay connected

To each other, to our partners, to our community, and to the results that matter.

Make people smile

Because work should feel human, energising and enjoyable.

These aren’t just words on a wall. They’re the standards we hold ourselves, and each other, to daily.

Derby Roots. Global Reach.

Alphageek was born in Derby, built on Derby values of graft, honesty, creativity and community. And its trajectory is now global.

The launch of Alphageek Dubai is more than an expansion – it’s a signal.

A signal that Derby ambition can compete on the world stage.

A signal that performance marketing doesn’t need to be London-centric.

A signal that our next five years are about scaling, innovating and leading internationally.

Everywhere we go, we’ll take Derby with us.

The Human Side – The Pace That Prepares Me

Outside the office, my life is fast, loud, busy and brilliant. I coach my son’s football team. I play in two bands. I grow produce on our allotment. I spend time with my wife, our four children, and an extended family that can fill a small auditorium.

People often ask how I handled the pace in school and now the pace of agency life. The truth? My home life has prepared me perfectly.

More and more, it teaches me patience, perspective and the importance of showing up fully (although I’m prone to impatience, lack of perspective and getting lost in my own thoughts, as any parent and/or spouse will know well).

Though, these are the same qualities I try to bring into my leadership every day.

And central to me showing up is how I make space to exercise – running, swimming, cycling and training. It’s essential for my mindset and my leadership, and I’ve found that a still mind makes better decisions.

The Black Friday Takeaway

Which brings me full circle – back to Black Friday.

Last year, I watched it from a completely different world.

This year, I’m living in the middle of it.

And the lesson, much like in schools, is simple:

Success isn’t built in the moment.

It’s built in the planning and the preparation in the months before.

This Black Friday has just been Alphageek’s strongest yet. It was a preview. A signal of what comes next.

Alphageek is Derby-born, globally ambitious, values-led, data-driven, AI-accelerated, and ready for the next era: Alphageek 2.0.

And not just for one day in a year – but for every day of it.