Right before the pandemic hit I started an agency and holy mother of god, I didn't know what I was in for. There is so much inherent drama in starting a business, particularly a creative agency. The competition is insane. The overhead is high. Client retention is a joke. So I figured I'd share my story as it unfolds to show you what it's like to start your own thing. And of course, what not to do.
Luke Sullivan is an advertising hero of mine who agreed to talk to me on the podcast. Why? I have no idea.
He's the author of Hey Whipple Squeeze This, the first book I read when starting out as an advertising creative, and one I've reread multiple times. And I don't reread anything.
Back in March he released its 6th and final edition so we discussed that, copywriting, and a branding project we were working on. His advice was so good we had to scrap months of work and start from scratch. Damn you Luke!
Enjoy.
7 Oct 2021
Unexpected Ways to Generate New Business (David Moore)
Today's episode features multi-agency owner and all around marketing ninja warrior, David Moore. He currently runs two agencies and has done some wild and effective things to generate new business.
One time he sent a long piece of foam board to target decision makers at companies he wanted to work with. The boards were too long to fit in their mailboxes and stuck out, which was the point. On each board were the words, "Want to stick out?".
It worked.
If you enjoyed the last episode with NBZ about generating new business, this is the perfect companion. Have a listen. Enjoy!
16 Sept 2021
Marketing Your Marketing Agency (NBZ)
"We make cool s**t for brands."
I'd be lying if I said I loved it. It’s a little try hard, and to Simone Oppenheimer and Rachel Segall, it isn't a compelling, sellable point of differentiation.
You see, Simone and Rachel run their own startup. It’s called NBZ. And I admittedly thought they were a consultancy that gave tactical suggestions on how to drum up new business. But they are not. They're so much more than that.
NBZ, in my mind, is a marketing agency for marketing agencies. They take the things we're so good at doing for others, and force us to do it on ourselves. It's like going to Mr. Miyagi to be taught how to punch only to find yourself doing chores for days. Then to look back later and realize you’d suck at punching if you didn’t put in that initial work.
Was that a good analogy? I don’t know. You know what else I don’t know? Whether Gush is a brand about making cool shit. I’ll have to get back to you on that.
In the meantime, listen to them blow up what we built in the best possible way.
Enjoy.
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