Although his company is just over a year old, Daniel Bresler – managing director of DB Digital – has demonstrated the kind of innovation and entrepreneurial acumen that is making him a force to be reckoned with in the South African digital marketing space.
With one entrepreneurial award already under his belt, Daniel’s capabilities are clearly being recognized by some of the most influential stakeholders in the country’s highly competitive digital marketing industry.
DB Digital operates as a remote, full-service digital marketing agency that offers four main service categories: web design, search engine optimization and search engine marketing, social media marketing, as well as content marketing.
Running a remote business has many advantages that, for example, make DB Digital accessible to a wider range of clients compared to some of the many other South African companies operating in this sector.
However, Daniel vividly remembers the seemingly insurmountable challenges he faced during the initial stages of setting up the company.
“The digital marketing industry in South Africa is extremely competitive, so building a name for myself as a small fish in a big pond was a huge challenge.
“I started DB Digital out of necessity because I didn’t have any luck finding a stable job. I wanted self-determination, despite not understanding what that meant at that time or how to achieve it. I had the skills and some decent experience.
“But finding an employer who could see that was more difficult than actually starting a business myself. So I started DB Digital with the purpose of offering remote, high-quality digital marketing services exclusively to small businesses anywhere in South Africa.
“My goal is to make world-class digital marketing accessible to growing local small businesses without the high costs that often become an obstacle for those seeking such valuable services in this industry.”
As the brains behind DB Digital, Daniel heads all digital marketing efforts at the remote agency, while his wife leads the web design and development side of the business. His entrepreneurial genes came from his late father. Looking back to the time he was growing up, Daniel vividly remembers how his father would regularly take him to the factory he owned. The visits sparked a strong desire within Daniel to start a business of his own.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a businessman since I was a toddler. My dad sometimes took me to his factory at Magnador to show me what it was like there. I remember walking around the welding or manufacturing departments with my hands behind my back, then telling people, ‘YOU ARE FIRED!’ in good old-fashioned Donald Trump style. Although I had no idea who Donald Trump was back then.”
Born in Cape Town in 1997, Daniel attended Panorama Primary School and Fairbairn College High School. He successfully earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Digital Marketing from STADIO Multiversity. A solid academic grounding and the abilities of his wife – who leads the web design and development side of the business – have put DB Digital on a growth trajectory.
However, like any new business still trying to find its feet, the company has faced its fair share of challenges. “One of my biggest challenges in starting my business was building a reputation for my brand. Naturally, being a digital marketer, this is exactly the type of problem I solve. But that doesn’t mean it was still easy to solve.
“I solved it by building a long-term organic content strategy. We launched our website in April 2024, which gave us a foundational platform to promote ourselves on. We have managed to grow considerably.”
Being named Most Influential CEO in the Western Cape Province for 2024 in the Digital Marketing category by CEO Monthly was a huge endorsement for DB Digital and proof to everyone that the company is well capable of punching above its weight.
Daniel beams with pride as he explains how the company’s breakthroughs and achievements made them stand out among the crowd.
“We built, designed, and launched a full e-commerce store for a local plus-size clothing brand and helped them achieve a number one ranking on Google in three months. Within our first year of working with them, we grew their online sales and presence exponentially.
“We also redesigned and optimized two websites for another client in 2024. Their first website is now ranking on page one of Google, while their second brand is soon to follow suit. We also managed to grow another client’s LinkedIn page to become the second largest page in their industry, and the fastest-growing page in their industry nationwide, all within one year.”
With growth and expansion on the horizon, Daniel has already begun looking at the bigger picture.
“Currently, only my wife and I work at the company. We intend to grow our agency remotely and already have a network of viable candidates prepared to do so once we reach that point.”
As he works towards his dream of transforming DB Digital into the go-to choice for small business digital marketing in South Africa within the next five years, Daniel has definitely proven his capabilities. He is showing that with determination, innovation, hard work, and a desire to achieve, Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs can push beyond barriers and leave indelible marks of success along the way.
