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Key Takeaways:
- Business growth isn’t just about the size of the budget but how effectively it’s utilized to drive the right strategies.
- A well-executed rebrand can establish a stronger identity, gain credibility, and attract a global audience.
- Strategic UGC efforts are key to generating consistent, high-value traffic, proving that organic content can be a powerful long-term growth tool.
Growing marketing budgets are often linked to business expansion, but success isn’t always about how much you spend.
Custom Neon, co-founded by CEO Jake Munday, is a great example of how smart decisions and bold choices can be far more important than having a big budget.
The company pivoted to focus on corporate signage during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving away free vouchers to build a strong portfolio.
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Leveraging digital marketing, the brand quickly gained global recognition, working with major names like Facebook, Ben & Jerry’s, Scrub Daddy, McDonalds, and more.
In our interview, Jake shares how clever rebranding, SEO, and bold decisions played a key role in transforming his business into a global success.
Who is Jake Munday?
Jake Munday can be described as the quintessential entrepreneur, pursuing successful business ventures even before leaving school. He is the CEO and co-founder of Custom Neon, which he grew from a $500 investment into a $10 million global business within four years. In 2017, he was honored with the Attaining Young Entrepreneur Award at the Geelong Business Awards.
Custom Neon’s journey began in 2018 when Jake and his wife, Jess, couldn’t find a safe neon sign for their son's nursery. Recognizing a gap in the market, Jake used his eCommerce experience to create a solution.
“We were astounded by how quickly it gained traction. Within 10 weeks, the calendar was full for the year, and we were selling $5k worth of signage a week. This was all via Instagram, using user-generated content and at no cost.”
However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which led Custom Neon to lose 40% of its business overnight.
They were faced with two choices: shut down or take a bold risk.
Jake chose the latter.
“We closed the hire arm of our business and pivoted from focusing on events to targeting corporate and business signage. To gain traction and build our portfolio, we gave away ten $500 vouchers to struggling businesses, using their new signs as showcase pieces.”
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The gamble paid off.
Between April 2020 and May 2021, revenue skyrocketed by 163%, defying the downturn many other industries experienced.
Another key decision was rebranding from Neon Collective to Custom Neon, a straightforward name that communicated exactly what the company did.
Jake says this move was necessary for targeting global markets:
“This, paired with a comprehensive SEO strategy, allowed us to dominate search engine results in a highly competitive space. As an eCommerce business without a physical storefront, clarity and visibility in our name and online presence were essential for scaling up internationally.”
The Power of UGCs and Celebrity Endorsements
Word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful growth drivers for any brand. After all, a genuine recommendation can deliver results that traditional marketing can’t achieve alone.
Jake highlights how important customers have been in promoting Custom Neon.
“Initially, our focus on user-generated content (UGC) started quite organically. Customers shared images of their signs on social media, tagging us, and we quickly noticed a surge in engagement.”
Recognizing the potential, Custom Neon encouraged more customers to share their experiences.
They made it easy to tag the company and asked customers to share the stories behind their signs — from weddings and business milestones to personal celebrations.
“This approach not only increased our social media engagement but also boosted direct traffic from these platforms.”
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Momentum also picked up when celebrities started sharing Custom Neon’s work:
“Paris Hilton’s wedding and our involvement in shows like Love Island showcased our signs in glamorous, highly visible settings, helping us gain international exposure."
Paris continues to tag us in posts, and having celebrities like David Beckham and Snoop Dogg associated with our products has significantly amplified our brand’s visibility.”
Scaling a Local Business to a Global Operation
Expanding globally comes with challenges, particularly logistical ones.
“We worked on establishing reliable partnerships and optimizing our logistics network to ensure timely and safe deliveries while also adapting to new regulations and market conditions, which varied significantly from one region to another.”
Custom Neon adapted by conducting extensive market research — not just on potential customers but also on competitors.
“Knowing the market helped us tailor our products and marketing strategies accordingly,” Jake explains.
The lesson here is clear: before expanding into new markets, businesses should gauge demand and appeal by leveraging social media and small-scale listings on platforms like Gumtree and eBay.
This approach allows companies to test consumer interest, refine their offerings, and make informed decisions without overcommitting resources.
A Defining Moment for Growth
Custom Neon has had many key moments shaping its journey, but when asked to choose a pivotal event, Jake didn’t hesitate.
“A moment that solidified our reputation with larger brands occurred when our Global Operations Manager, Kit Henseleit, attended the Retail Innovation Conference expo in Chicago in 2022.”
He explains that the expo provided the company with opportunities to engage with numerous iconic brands like Coach.
“This exchange paved the way for Kit to pitch our innovative concept of no-waste signage, which utilizes LED neon scraps that would otherwise be discarded."
"This initiative not only helped us forge a lucrative partnership with Coach but also showcased our commitment to being solution-driven, not just signage-driven.”
A Showcase Project
We also asked Jake to share a project that best illustrates Custom Neon’s capabilities, and he promptly replied with their work with The W Hotel at Darling Harbour, Sydney.
The challenge?
Hosting the largest suspended LED neon sign in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Our team designed and executed a stunning centerpiece that masterfully represents Australiana, turning it into a highly photogenic landmark within the hotel.”
This project led to numerous referrals and a wealth of user-generated content that Custom Neon still actively uses in its marketing and sales collateral.
Custom Neon’s success is a powerful reminder that strategic rebranding, user-generated content, and smart marketing can turn even the smallest investment into a thriving global business.
By focusing on clarity, credibility, and organic engagement (celebrity support doesn’t hurt either), any company can scale beyond expectations and drive real growth.
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