Caspar Lee has no illusions about his unusual journey to the C-suite. “The only route to becoming a senior executive at my age is to start something yourself. I haven’t worked my way up in a traditional sense.”
The 29-year-old’s career began when he was 16 and launched his YouTube channel. Though both this and his second attempt were self-confessed “disasters”, the third time was a charm and within five years he had amassed more than 6 million subscribers.
While he’s no longer a full-time social media star, Lee has turned that early success into a longer-term career. “I’m now on the business side of the creator economy,” he explains.
The creator economy describes the ecosystem which has sprung up around online personalities, be they actors, comedians, chefs, historians or even Excel experts. These digital natives managed to amass vast audiences which, in turn, attracted the interest of brands. Lee saw an opportunity and co-founded a company that matched the two and Influencer.com was born (although, these days, he prefers the term ‘creator’ to the much-maligned ‘influencer’.)
“We work with people who entertain or educate others and who need a way to fund that content creation. My vision has always been giving people – both brands and creators – as many options as possible.”
Launched in 2017, the marketing platform now has a staff of more than 500 employees across five global cities and has worked with the likes of PepsiCo, Google, McDonald’s and the BBC. Lee is chief vision officer and works alongside CEO and co-founder Ben Jeffries. “Ben’s focus is on the details of running the company itself. I’m focused on the bigger picture of where Influencer.com is going, connecting brands and creators at scale.”
Opportunity begets opportunity, and Lee soon realised that there were more areas of the creator economy where he could get involved. In 2018, he started a talent management company with fellow former YouTuber Joe Sugg. In 2021, he launched the venture capital fund Creator Ventures with managing partner Sasha Kaletsky, aimed at “investing in technologists shaping internet culture”.
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable. Even presidents get nervous sometimes
Understanding the value of a strong partnership is just one of the many lessons Lee has applied from his YouTube beginnings to his business career. In the early days of running his channel, Lee teamed up with accounts of similar sizes to reach a bigger audience, slowly building up to working with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Dwayne Johnson. This strategy holds water in the corporate world too, he says.
“Two years ago, there were some people who I’d think would never invest in my business or take a meeting with me. But I’ve worked my way up slowly,” he says.
“Don’t rule out meeting with someone because you think they might be too senior – or too junior. Some people want to jump a few steps and think, ‘If I get in a room with that person, then it will work.’ But it takes time to build up your confidence and your skills.”
This confidence has been a hard-fought battle for Lee. “Stepping away from YouTube was an anxious time because it was something I really knew, something I was decent at,” he says.
Lee’s transition to the boardroom has been fraught with doubts and instances of imposter syndrome. “I wondered if I was only there because of my YouTube success. And I wondered if I would be able to keep up with everyone in the room and communicate with them in a professional manner.”
But, he has discovered, the best way to tackle these fears is to face them and understand your own skills and limitations, leaning on colleagues and partners to fill in any gaps. “The best thing is knowing you’re good at certain things but not others,” he says. Many leaders, he says, are brought down by thinking the skills they have in one area qualifies them to make decisions across the board, even on those they do not understand. “Some of the best leaders I’ve met are willing to say they don’t know something, and that provides real comfort.”
His own areas of expertise are a result of first-hand experience, and he is keen to pass on the lessons he has learned from launching his businesses.
First up, and perhaps surprising: “Don’t think that raising capital is a cause for celebration.” People who are launching a business think that raising the money is the goal but it is just the starting line. Once you have investors, operations become more serious. People are keeping a close eye on you and your company’s performance.
What this can do, says Lee, is leave you with less room to test and fail, which is how business leaders can learn.
“Try to work out how you can bootstrap your idea for as long as possible,” he says. “And find co-founders who are willing to put in the time, especially if you are starting a tech company. Build your business very cheaply with that person before deciding whether or not to scale it.”
To only route to becoming a senior executive at my age is to start something yourself
His other big piece of advice? Pick the right market. “The idea itself is not the most important thing, because the idea will evolve,” he says. “The market is 60% of whether or not an idea will succeed.” So choose wisely, he says. Is your chosen market new? Is it one that a lot of people don’t understand? Is money pouring in or does it need time for people to understand its potential?
Finally, don’t be put off just because you are new to something. “It’s ok to feel uncomfortable. Even presidents get nervous sometimes.” It can be easy to underestimate what you bring to the table as an outsider. “Everyone has something to offer,” says Lee. In his own case, his YouTube-honed ability to bring people together, put them at ease and get others to listen to what he has to say is a crucial factor in his success so far.
Ultimately, Lee’s career and the lessons he has learned are useful for anyone leading a business, not just the serial entrepreneur. Know where you can excel and add value. Identify great partners and develop mutually beneficial relationships with them. Take your time. And never underestimate the real value of influence.
