About Dan Wiseman

Hello, my name is Dan Wiseman. I am an entrepreneur based in London and Exeter, UK.

Ever since I was young I had an interest in business and making money. At weekends, I would visit car-boot sales with my friends; buying cheap video games and then listing them on ebay for a profit. I was always looking for a bargain and ways to generating an income!

I’ve always been technically minded too. I first learnt to code BASIC when I was around 13 years old on a kids Vtech TV computer system. I made a little text-based adventure game. The Internet was still very new back then, and our first dial-up home computer gave me a chance to get into website building. I made a Pokemon fan site!

I worked hard at school and took part in many of the school plays and extra-curricular events. This nurtured an interest in the Arts for me, and when I finished my A-levels I got a full-time job as a Media / IT / Drama Technician at my school. It was an interesting transition from student to staff member, and I learnt a lot about how public organisations work and employment law. The role was a perfect mix of “Arts” and technology, which has been a prevalent theme in everything I do to this day.

After two years in full-time employment, I felt like life was stagnating somewhat and decided to go to University. Since I had tasted work-life, I thought I would pick a subject that I enjoyed, rather than any worry about career prospects. I knew the worst case scenario was that I’d end up having to go back into the job I had previously: not the end of the world.
So I picked to do a Drama degree! I focused on all the backstage work, the technical aspects of the Arts industry, as well as directing & marketing of the plays I was involved with. I loved it!

A degree in the arts is so valuable for entrepreneurs. If you direct, you are learning to be a leader. If you produce, you are learning to budget and project management. You will need to be able to promote your art/plays (marketing). You may be a writer or set designer which requires creative skills. Not to mention personal branding, which is incredibly important for actors and actresses. I could go on and on; so many skills that translate to being a successful person in business.

I self-funded my time at University through grants, loans and hard-work. I had several jobs but the most important one was when I offered to help a friend by making him a website. I charged him £100 for the site, which looking back now was an awful design. But he loved it! And he mentioned me to a friend who wanted another website, and another and another.

When I graduated I had lots of website work and decided to go full-time. Graduating is an exciting time. For most students, the whole world is up for grabs. No responsibilities and plenty of opportunities. It is a perfect time to try and start a business.
I am not from a wealthy background. I have worked hard for everything I have built. But I was very lucky to have caring parents and a home to go back to. So the worst case scenario if my business failed? Move back home with parents / get a job.
I encourage any young people with similar ambitions to give their idea a try. As you get older, life will get in the way – so go for it!

Years on, I can reflect on how these key moments in my life have led me to where I am today. I run several businesses including a property investment company and a digital marketing agency. The key things I have learnt in business are to be honest and hard-working, always do what you say you are going to do, and only work with people who truly value what you do.

In 2020 I saw an opportunity to combine my passion for gaming with my entrepreneurial mindset, and set up The Detective Society with two friends. The business grew rapidly, selling thousands of games across the world.

It brings me great joy to be nurturing a new business, creating games and exploring an entirely new market. Please check it out.

Thanks for reading.