Founder praises ‘people power’ as digital agency marks 21 years in business

Leon Calverley, the founder and managing director of Door4, says people have been the bedrock of the digital agency’s success as it marks its 21st birthday.

Despite the technology angle, he credits the Lancashire agency’s longevity and success to the qualities of colleagues and clients, past and present.

In a blog on the agency’s website, Leon said: “I’m so proud of the people we’ve had in our team over the last two decades. There’s a core group of people who’ve been here for years and grown with the business.

“Then there are people who stay for a while and move on – and they’ve gone on to prestigious companies, which shows the calibre of talent we cultivate here. 

“I’m proud for our clients too… They absolutely deserve a mention because we couldn’t do great things if they weren’t on board.”

In 2000, Leon was learning digital technology as a hobby in his back bedroom when a designer friend asked him if he’d like to build a website for a client.

Since then, Door4 has become a revenue optimisation partner for regional, national and global brands like EGO Power+, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), National Fostering Group and Nuts Group. 

In the blog, Leon also reveals some of the challenges of leadership, what he’d do differently with hindsight, and his best piece of business advice.

Door4 was founded in Burnley in 2000, spent a decade in Nelson, and moved back to Burnley in 2018. The agency is opening a permanent office in Manchester city centre in the summer of 2021.