Simon Lewis – Owner Founder
What’s your name and where are you from?
Simon Lewis and I’m from the Poole which is a small seaside town in the UK
Where are you currently living right now and how did you end up there?
I’m currently living in Vancouver. Honestly, kind of by accident. I enjoy rock climbing and my wife and I decided to take a year out from living in London to go climbing and skiing in Canada. That was in 2006 and we’re still here.
How did you first start in digital marketing?
I suppose I first got interested in the internet and its potential when I was at University. I spent time doing Human Computer Interaction and I did a usability study on websites. It was all a bit hokey and amateur back then but after I finished school I got a job working for an online public relations firm. It was around the time of the first dotcom bubble so there were lots of parties and interesting ideas floating around. It didn’t last long though and I soon found myself looking for something else. So from there I transitioned into paid media, analytics, SEO and everything that goes with it.
Binary & Simon
What do you do at Binary & Co?
A little bit of everything really. I’m the owner/founder of the company so I have to wear a lot of different hats. I really enjoy working with our clients and ensuring that we are delivering on their accounts. But I do spend time doing business development, marketing and all sorts to keep the company moving forward.
What’s one thing you’re working on right now?
Well, because we’re a 100% remote company I’m working on our first online team get together. We’re hoping to have more in the future but it’s definitely been something that we’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s hard to have everyone spread across North America and to build those ‘water cooler’ relationships. So I’m excited to get our small team together for something other than a work Zoom/Google Meet call.
Day to Day
What does your daily routine look like?
I usually start the day having breakfast with my daughter. In between making eggs, toast & cereal I get to hear about what’s going on with her. Then I usually walk her to school and head into the office or a coffee shop to work.
What I do each day will depend on the day. I try to spend the first part of the week working with the team and our clients. That means having team meetings, client calls or actually doing client work. The second half of the week I tend to try to focus on the business, so business development, marketing or connecting with the team.
Binary View
What do you think is unique about working for Binary & Co?
It’s difficult for me to say as I’m quite close to it. However, when I started Binary & Co I wanted it to be a place where people could work in a way that suited them. So we started off being 100% remote. It took a global pandemic to make this completely normal but it certainly helped to make it easier to explain to people.
Not only that, but we also offer people flexible working arrangements. Almost none of our positions are full time and we allow people to work as much as they want or are able.
Having this model has enabled us to spread the net wide and open it up to people that otherwise wouldn’t be available on the current job market.
It’s early days, but it seems to be a model that people enjoy and appreciate. I hope it continues to be so.
The Other Side
How do you spend your time when you are not working?
My first love is rock climbing. While I can’t claim to be any good at it I enjoy getting out there with friends at the weekend. Since starting a family it’s become more of a family occasion going out with other families and kids
What are you binge-watching or reading right now?
I watch a lot of documentaries. At the moment I’m watching ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ which is about Ryan Reynolds & Rob Mcelhenney’s take over of Wrexham football club. It’s interested to see Hollywood and lower tier welsh football collide.
What’s the one thing on your bucket list.
Well those people that know me, know I’m an avid football (soccer) fan and I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of driving across North America. With the 2026 world cup coming up in North America, who knows maybe I’ll get the chance to combine those two interests.