7th
Building an Agency; Part 2 - How To
After reflecting a bit on the don’ts on building an agency (or really any business) finally I can get to the happier part, the do’s. And similar to how you can learn more from failures, it could be of more importance to pay attention to the how not to’s. But, here are some basic ideas to at least build a good foundation.
1. Have an angle, first. Be the absolute best at something. Or at least aspire to, and make that something super specific. Like mentioned in the don’ts, you can be great at everything. So find an area that resonates with you or one that has clear market needs. This is really key to figure out before you go and hire a bunch of people, and preferably should be in your business plan. And this can totally be something like people like Colossal Squid, North Kingdom, Barbarian Group, et al, go with - just making stuff. However they make it like few else, and that’s the key.
2. Hire a core team better than you. Find people as passionate as you, but smarter. Hire bigger than you are. You need to have ultimate faith in the core group, regardless of capability, or level. Look for people who seem to be beyond what they’re interviewing for. That may seem obvious, but its true for the most senior people, as the most junior. In a small setting you need people who will step up in situations, not look around to see who else is going to do it. You need people who will take control, and want to take control. It saves pain later.
3. Pay attention to the personal dynamics. When building something new, the initial ingredients will determine a mixture being tasty, or utterly foul. As is this culinary example, the same is true with mixing people. More on this tomorrow.
