I decided to put a lot more focus into MX Vice in August 2015, as the business really started to gather pace. I have still been an integral part of Burfield Digital Agency’s growth, but I have focused my time solely on new business, networking and talking at events. Gone are my days of coding or designing, much to the relief of my colleagues.

Last year at MX Vice we ended with 1.8 million people through the website and peaked at 254,000 unique visitors in one month. We set a few records last year with 31,000 visitors in one day, a Facebook post that reached 11.7 million people and 1.3 million people engaging with a single video. At the moment our Facebook page has hit 390,000 and it attracts on average 1000 new followers a day.

So, as years go, 2015 was one I was very proud of and it justified the decision of allocating more time to developing MX Vice into a focused business.

Over the past eight months the Burfield team have analyzed all forms of data using tools like Google Analytics, Clicky, Lucky Orange, Ahrefs, Moz Tools and Agora Pulse to find out as much information about how the site is used and the people who are using it. The Burfield team implemented what we had learned from the data into the new website that was released at the end of February and we have already seen a drop in bounce, increased time spent on each page and an increase in actions that justified our decision to improve the site. Those changes are just the start of a three phase release of features this year that we are hoping will improve those statistics further.

One of our big advantages at MX Vice was that we were one of the early adopters of social media within the industry, from introducing live tweets from race day through to driving engagement through influencers online. It's only been the past two years that European media have started to introduce techniques that we were using five years ago, which is a testament to the guys at Burfield Digital Agency. Not one to follow the crowd, we literally looked for influencers to engage and follow us. We used systems like PipTook to help build and further our audience reach by seeking out those who could help grow our network and drive people to the site or social accounts. I'm unaware of anyone in motocross media from around the world going down this path at present.

I have learned that everything takes time and there have been a few notable instances in the past where I have tried to run before I can walk, like when I produced a TV show with three people that was shown on Motors TV through to owning a race team and starting a race series. All these things seemed like a great way to raise the profile of MX Vice, but actually ended up becoming a huge distraction and hindrance to our growth. One thing I have learnt is to keep it simple and play to your strengths – that has finally started to pay dividends.

One of the biggest challenges faced when growing MX Vice (I'm sure this is the same for all businesses) is finding people who are willing to invest in the journey to get to the top. Let’s just say I have had a lucky escape with a couple of people I have employed in the past. They talked a great game, but failed miserably even though they had the tools, backing and resources to succeed. At one point I nearly gave up completely, because my mindset was if these people were supposedly the best why were they not able to push the business forward?

Looking back, it's pretty simple. They had their own agenda and were looking to use MX Vice to further their own journey. So MX Vice took a back seat while they used the resources to strengthen their own goals. MX Vice's lowest point interestingly would become the turning point to our success going forward.

I needed to find people who were willing to invest time, energy and were able to demonstrate a hunger to succeed. There had to be people out there as passionate about motocross as me and who want to produce something different to anything out there in Europe, surely?? My calls for help were answered by a 16-year-old college student called Lewis Phillips, who had been writing blog articles for MX Vice over the past twelve months. At this point I had nothing to lose; I had put everything from trust to resources into someone who seemed like a sure bet, who was a seasoned editor for a previous magazine and it failed. What did I have to lose?

Lewis, although young, showed maturity in his writing well above his current age or skillset for someone in their first year of college. When people read Lewis' work (with no photo attached initially) most thought it was a seasoned motocross journalist. No one, and I mean no one, had any idea Lewis was that young. At just seventeen years old and after just acquiring his college qualifications, Lewis joined MX Vice full time as a journalist.

Having only recently passing his driving test, Lewis would accompany me around the country where we would produce our live updates from events, reports and insights. At eighteen years old Lewis would become the MX Vice editor, which is a position he has now held for three years and continues to excel at. Multiple job offers have come his way from some of the biggest motorsport brands and media houses, but so far he has declined as he continues to push MX Vice forward. At twenty years old, Lewis travels the world with the MXGP circuit and spends the off-season in California to make sure he is with the industry as they begin their winter preparations.

Lewis has taught me that age is merely a number and passionate people are imperative to the success of a business. Having someone who shares your vision, passion and is willing to invest their own time and energy is like a finding a unicorn, but they are out there. What I didn't realize is that two unicorns would come along over two years...

Last year Lewis introduced me to his best friend, Sean Ogden, who having raced motocross from a young age had a passion for videography, but never put anything out because he felt he wasn't ready. Most people put together a video, put it on YouTube and share it with everyone, then have their friends praise their efforts even though they have got motion sickness from the shaky camera work. Sean, on the other hand, was not one of those guys, he was a perfectionist. He is similar to Lewis in a way, but also a graphic designer who is always seeking the perfect design and won't share it until it is one hundred percent right.

After Sean released his first video from the British Championship for MX Vice it was clear that, like Lewis, Sean would have a big future and we needed to get him onboard full time. So, after working at Tesco Express in March 2015 and having never been on a plane, Sean has flown over sixty-one thousand miles in a year, built a YouTube channel with 400,000+ views and a Facebook video channel with 100 million views in thirteen months.

Now with a team of six people involved, four of whom are full time, we have the ability to produce content for brands and prospective clients. This year we are working with Fox Racing, Atlas Braces, 24MX and Talon as our main clients, helping AXP and Enjoy push into the UK and Europe and also aiding Shoei, Lazer and SIDI (via Feridax) in their attempt to concentrate on the UK. For Fox we produced, scripted, filmed and edited the Gautier Paulin series that we pitched. The guys flew out to Florida in January to film with Gautier and Aldon Baker at the Bakery. The three-part series can be found here…

Episode 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyPyAl_efrk

Episode 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIBuQRFFD6s

Episode 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kd2cNicP6U

It's been a great journey so far and the influence from the team at Burfield, who are specialists in digital, alongside six passionate motocross fans within the business is definitely paying dividends.

The next twelve months are extremely crucial in the development of Burfield and MX Vice as businesses. With MX Vice having a monthly peak of 254,000 visitors, we are now focused on bridging the gap between ourselves and Racer X, Transworld and Vital MX, which are all fantastic websites and businesses that are at the top of their game. How does a small startup compete on a world stage? How do we market, engage and talk to a further 400,000 people a month from around the world in such a niche environment?

Well, we believe it is about user experience. Actually, we're pretty damn sure it is. We are looking to create a place where motocross fans can learn, connect and keep up to date by the minute whilst submerging themselves in a very engaging experience. I don't want to give too much away at this stage, but let’s just say it's personalization vs gamification that we believe will help connect the dots between fans and the motocross industry.

One thing for sure is we won't be taking our foot off the pedal for the next few years, as we have only scratched the surface of what we can achieve.