Andrew Collins, Group CEO of Mailman, is proof that age and an unfamiliar territory are not hindrances to one’s road to success in the entrepreneurial journey. In one of EO Melbourne’s learning events, Andrew shared how he, as a young Australian entrepreneur, acquired a small business in China and transformed it into a global leader in sports media, serving the largest sports organisations in the world, including NFL, NBA, UFC, Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United, to name a few.
At the age of 27, on his fifth trip to China, Andrew acquired Mailman, one of the first foreign-owned advertising agencies in this country that specialised in postcard media, for US $175,000 and then scaled it to become a leading digital agency. This was in 2007, which he considered as the survival phase of his journey leading to 2010 when he had pivoted the business to digital consulting in the sports and entertainment category.
The huge rise of the internet and electronic media in China allowed Andrew to expand his business offerings and enabled him to streamline his services towards designing digital media campaigns for the global travel and sports organisations. Liverpool FC, the first global football team to embrace China, became Mailman’s first international client ahead of their summer tour.
By the end of 2021, with over 300 employees, Mailman was serving over 100 global sporting organizations across 54 markets. Recently, Andrew sold the company to Endeavor (NYSE: EDR) for a record sum for an Australian-founded business in China -- a great feat for a young entrepreneur! Andrew now resides in Singapore providing support as the company expands with Endeavor’s global network.
In his over a decade of living in China, Andrew became part of EO Shanghai, serving the organisation in various capacities, which is why he was delighted to be able to share his journey with fellow entrepreneurs from EO Melbourne and across the South Pacific. Attendees of this EO Melbourne virtual event learned so much from Andrew’s entrepreneurial experience, especially his hard work, passion and determination to achieve the successes he has reaped over the years.
