PPC Samurai helps marketing agencies scale their ads for success

Leah Bond is the Queensland female co-founder of PPC Samurai, which she runs with her husband and co-founder, Shaun. PPC Samurai is an ad-tech (advertising technology) platform that is used by digital marketing agencies around the world to manage, optimise and systemise their Google and Microsoft Ads management.    

Having recently launched a sister product, Adpulse in January 2022, both of Leah’s businesses are thriving. PPC Samurai has won and been a finalist in many awards and has developed commercial relationships with both Google and Microsoft. So much so that they are one of Google’s largest technology partners in the Asia-Pacific.  

We spoke to Leah about her business and her journey as a Queensland Female Founder.   

What inspired you to start your business?  

PPC Samurai was born out of our own need. We had an agency and were trying to scale our strategies but found there was no technology that would allow us to do that the way we wanted. Shaun found someone who could build a piece of technology that allowed users to drag and drop strategies into a decision tree, and PPC Samurai was born. From there I jumped on board and the rest is history.   

What milestones have you reached?  

We’ve gained a lot of traction – we’re now in more than 15 countries. We’ve also expanded to add Microsoft Advertising capabilities to our platform and have found it’s a great way to expand our networks and reach.  

What business achievements are you most proud of to date?  

I’m proud that we won the best PPC (pay-per-click) management software suite in 2021 for both the US Search Awards and APAC (Asia-Pacific) Search Awards. Also in 2021, we were awarded the APAC Rising Star in the Microsoft Advertising Partner Awards. We were also finalists in the 2021 European Search Awards and the 2020 UK Search Awards.   

We’ve negotiated positive and ongoing commercial relationships with Google and Microsoft and have had fantastic support from both. We’re thrilled to be one of Google’s largest technology partners in APAC.   

I’m also really proud to have a small but mighty dream team and a positive, supportive and warm company culture.   

Have you participated in any Advance Queensland programs, or received any support from Advance Queensland to date?  

We’ve been lucky enough to receive an Ignite Ideas Fund grant, and we’re also a member of the Advancing Champion Enterprises group.   

What’s your advice for other female entrepreneurs and businesses starting out on their entrepreneurship journey?   
I would say to back yourself. Not just your idea, but back yourself with education, reading, and commit to repeated testing of your hypothesis as you go. Women, particularly those juggling other life commitments, can sometimes see entrepreneurship through the lens of uncertainty and so it can feel selfish, like indulging a dream. But if you back yourself, you back your need to carve time out for what you’re trying to achieve.    

Surround yourself with people who inspire you and people who know more than you. None of this should be done in a vacuum and if you do, you’ll likely fail to learn from the amazing amount of iterative experience around you.   

 
Last updated 23 Jun, 2022
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