Adam Herbert is the CEO and co-founder and of Go Live Data, a Manchester-based B2B data and marketing company that’s rapidly emerged as one of the UK’s leading data agencies.
With over 20 years of experience in the marketing industry, Adam has played a pivotal role in helping major brands accelerate growth through intelligent, data-led, B2B marketing solutions.
His entrepreneurial journey began at just 16, when he built a directory website that competed with Yell.com. That early start in the ‘digital’ world, sparked his passion for marketing, technology and innovation. With a career that’s sharpened his strategic instinct and an unshakable belief in doing business right, in 2020 he co-founded Go Live Data with his business partner, Tim Langley.
Creating a purpose-driven company hitting £4 million in five years, Adam’s mission is firmly on track to revolutionise marketing, by putting the recipient first.
In a stagnant industry riddled with noise and irrelevant messaging, Adam is leading change. Go Live Data is transforming outbound marketing through educational, Intent Data and pioneering Frequency Rules that are new to the data industry. With more than 80% of Go Live’s output as educational, it’s a model Adam calls “marketing with intent.”
Developing game-changing technology, allows clients such as Amazon Business, AXA Health and Premier Line to conduct marketing that builds long-term trust and grow.
The team is passionate about GDPR compliance, marketing ethics, and restoring credibility in digital communications. Adam’s vision has attracted attention across the media and business landscape, with features in Startups Magazine, WeAreTheCity, Elite Business Magazine, the Independent, and many others.
His leadership has earned him industry recognition, including a Hustle Award for leading team, and shortlisted for Technology Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Go Live Data is also listed at number 50 in the Elite Business 100 Top SME UK Business list and ranked at number 31 in the TechRound 100 list for UK tech innovators.
As Go Live Data continues to scale internationally, Adam is working on new campaigns, to not only support corporations and SMEs, but to help smaller, local businesses to broaden his offer, with #Making-email-great-again in the pipeline.
Table of Contents
Adam shares his journey from teenage entrepreneur to leading a fast-growing data intelligence company. He explains why respecting the inbox and focusing on intent, education and trust is changing the face of B2B email marketing.
When Adam Herbert started competing with Yell.com at just sixteen, he learned to question conventional wisdom and build lean, smart systems. That early experience of doing more with less shaped the ethos that drives Go Live Data, one of the UK’s fastest-growing data and marketing intelligence companies.
Under Herbert’s leadership, Go Live Data has grown to £4 million in five years, serving global brands like Amazon Business and AXA Health while supporting local SMEs. The company’s approach to marketing is defined by intent-led outreach, ethical data practices, and education-first content.
Rather than chasing volume, Herbert and his team prioritise relevance and respect for the recipient’s inbox. Their pioneering Frequency Rules ensure that no prospect is bombarded, while their commitment to cleaning data every 30 days builds trust and improves deliverability.
Herbert believes that marketing done right can restore trust in digital communications. By focusing on long-term value and empowering clients with accurate data, Go Live Data is helping to reshape how B2B outreach is done.
Q&A with Adam Herbert
Q: You started your entrepreneurial journey at just 16, competing with Yell.com. How did that early experience shape your mindset as a business leader today?
A: Competing with Yell.com as a teenager forces you to either sink or get scrappy. You learn to do a lot with no budget. That early experience taught me not to blindly follow how the industry works — because often, the industry is just copying itself. That mindset still drives me today: question everything, build what works, and don’t be afraid to go against the grain.
Q: Go Live Data has grown to £4 million in just five years. What key decisions or turning points helped accelerate that growth?
A: The biggest one was pretty counter-intuitive: deciding not to chase revenue. It meant we could focus on getting the approach right — building long-term, intent-led systems rather than quick fixes. We invested heavily in tech and process before the market even knew it needed them. That felt risky at the time, but when things like the ISP changes hit, we were already miles ahead because we’d built it properly.
Q: You’ve spoken about “marketing with intent.” Can you explain what that means in practice, and how it differs from traditional outbound marketing?
A: Intent means communicating with people who are actually interested — and doing it respectfully. Traditional outbound just blasts everyone with the same message, hoping something sticks. We watch behaviour; if someone spends 30 seconds or more on a high-intent page, that tells us something. We don’t want you to chase 10,000 random leads. We want you to focus on the 500 that actually care.
Q: Many say the data industry is crowded and noisy. How is Go Live Data cutting through that noise and restoring trust in digital communications?
A: By remembering that an inbox belongs to a person — it isn’t just a faceless data point you can hammer with communications. Everyone else is chasing volume, but we’re focused on relevance. That means super-fresh data, intent signals, and respecting the inbox — frequency caps, educational-first emails, and smart attribution.
Q: Your Frequency Rules are described as pioneering. Could you share how they work and the impact they’ve had for your clients?
A: Simple: no one gets bombarded. If two clients want to reach the same person with a similar offering, they can’t both send something in the same week. We stagger it so no recipient ever feels like they’re being hunted. That approach gets better results and keeps ISPs happy — so deliverability and trust go up.
Q: With more than 80% of your output being educational, why did you choose to prioritise this approach?
A: People hate being sold to — especially when they’re not ready. So, we treat email like SEO: it’s about educating, informing, and earning attention over time. That kind of messaging builds familiarity, trust, and ultimately better leads.
Q: GDPR compliance and marketing ethics are central to your brand. How do you balance innovation with strict compliance in a fast-moving industry?
A: To be blunt, it really is as simple as just caring. You can’t shortcut your way around ethics — they have to be baked into the product. For us, that means clean data, clear permissions, and respecting recipients’ attention. Innovation doesn’t mean moving fast and breaking things. It means moving smart and building things that last.
Q: What values or principles guide you as a leader when building teams and setting direction for Go Live Data?
A: Three things: frequency, education, intent. But also honesty. We’ll tell clients when something’s not working. We don’t chase the deal just to hit numbers. Internally, I hire on passion and potential more than polish. Because people can fake competence for 30 minutes. They can’t fake vision.
Q: You work with global players like Amazon Business and AXA Health. What do you think attracts these big names to a growing Manchester-based company?
A: We show them something they haven’t seen before. Most vendors pitch the same dashboards and empty promises. We walk in and talk common sense. Better data, smarter targeting, less spam. That earns trust. And when they test us, we deliver.
Q: You’re expanding internationally, but you’ve also said you want to support local SMEs. How do you balance global ambition with local impact?
A: We’ve built products for everyone. Global brands run multi-country campaigns with us. But a local garage or college can still use Go Cleanse or join our LBOP (Local Business Outreach) programme. The tools scale both ways.
Q: You’ve been recognised with Hustle Awards, GBEA shortlists, and TechRound rankings. Which milestone has meant the most to you personally, and why?
A: The first time we beat a massive competitor in a fair pitch. That moment when a client looked at both offers and chose us — not because we were cheaper (we weren’t), but because we were better. That matters more to me than trophies. It proves the model works.
Q: You’ve launched the campaign “Making Email Great Again.” What can we expect from this initiative, and where do you see Go Live Data in the next five years?
A: It’s not a slogan. It’s a full shift in how B2B email is done. Respect the inbox. Educate first. Use data properly. Over the next five years, we’re going to be the benchmark for that approach. More global campaigns, smarter tech like Go Halo for attribution, and hopefully… less spam in the world.
Adam Herbert on The Fake Marketer Podcast
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