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One of the things that bugs the crap out of me is how many people in adland seem to think they’re geniuses and their clients are fuckwits.
What’s worse is the only way they’ll seem to change their mind is if the client ends up agreeing to whatever they suggest or want to do … which is total and utter madness.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate they’re many people in marketing that could make the wrong decision in a house fire [“Do I walk out the front door or stay and brainstorm possibilities?”] but by the same token, there’s way too many people in adland that don’t appreciate they’re paid to help companies make more money, not to fund their personal artistic endeavors.
And that’s why I’m a big believer in everyone starting their own company.
I’m not talking about a hobby … I’m talking about something where your livelihood – short or long term – is inherently linked to it’s success or failure.
Trust me, there’s nothing like having a business to test your morals, values and principles.
As much as we like to pretend it’s all about talent, the fact is lots and lots of people can, and do, have big ideas – not to mention a bunch of thoughts on how things could, and should, be done … however it’s only when you have a company that you truly appreciate the commercial considerations that need to be weighed up behind every decision.
That’s not saying there is ever a reason to not do amazing work, but there are a lot of factors that need to be understood and quite frankly, too few people in adland truly understand that – or at least the implications of doing that – which is why starting a business is not only a time of unbelievable excitement, but also of learning.
While I am incredibly fortunate to work for an independent company who has built their reputation by maintaing their strong principles and beliefs – the fact is my first 3 years at cynic did more to teach me how to get ideas to go from the bottom drawer to the boardroom table and I genuinely believe that without that education, the successes I have been fortunate to have in my career would have been severely impacted.
So if you want to improve your odds of making the ideas you believe in happen, start your own business and I guarantee you’ll soon learn how success comes from pitching your thoughts from your client’s needs perspective, not just your own egos.
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Sorry, wrong blog.
Comment by john August 25, 2011 @ 6:21 ameveryone should start their own fucking business so they can rip the fucking livelihood from any other fuckers they convince/con to join them.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:37 amand you can delegate everyfuckingthing and call it leadership, not lazy motherfuckingbastardship.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:39 amand charge food, bullshit tech and more diet fucking coke than the atlanta bastards can produce in a year on expenses.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:40 amand claim everything as a tax fucking deduction. bernie madoff eat your fucking heart out.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:41 amand hire freaks and hotties in the name of creative and intefuckingllectual diversity.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:42 amI’m guessing I was hired because I had a foot in both camps.
Talk about value for money.
Comment by DH August 25, 2011 @ 7:08 amThe good news is that Andy hired you so given you’re not some Maxim centrefold, he must have regarded you as someone with some talent. Somewhere.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 9:08 amand force your fucked up font choices on every other poor bastard.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:44 amand use the motherfucking genius pitch close “do you really want to trust your business to people who have never actually run a business or to people who know exactly what it takes to achieve success?”
fuck you jwt account handlers.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:46 amif im looking at this post from campbells personal and twisted as fuck perspective, agree with every fucking word of this post. if i ignore campbell and think about what the prick is saying about having your own company and the state of too many fuckers pulling down cash in adland today, i agree with every word of this fucking post. if i think about what happened to me, i agree with every word of this fucking post but want to kill campbell for fucking me up and over.
better to fucking fail and learn than act big and talk shit. the scary fucking news is campbell told me last fucking week he thinks he has “one more company in him”. good news for w+k, fucking disaster for me because ill have to get involved to keep the fucker out of too much fucking trouble.
what the fuck does someone have to do around here to be sainted up?
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 6:53 amSo you are agreeing with me yet you insult me over and over again. You must be a marriage councilors dream.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 9:09 amseems campbell have to fucking hire baz back too now his fucking boss has resigned? cant think who else would put up with the bastard midget. then he has got more cash now than even campbell has pulled off and hes the j k harry fucking potter of blokes. well pretend blokes.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 7:02 amNot if he got paid in Apple shares. Watch the price tumble.
Comment by DH August 25, 2011 @ 7:06 am7% fall in 30 minutes. Sell Bazza, sell.
Comment by DH August 25, 2011 @ 7:11 amAt least Bazza has a real excuse why he was overlooked as the new CEO.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 25, 2011 @ 7:13 amAndy’s comments have made starting your own business sound much more worthwhile than Rob’s.
Comment by DH August 25, 2011 @ 7:07 amIn 6 months Jobs will release an improved version of his resignation letter.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 25, 2011 @ 7:13 amwhat the fuck is happening, all billys comments are fucking funny. have I just had a fucking brain haemorrhage?
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 7:20 amNo it’s just a panic attack at the thought of getting the old band back together.
Comment by john August 25, 2011 @ 7:28 amI have to agree with Dave that Andy’s view of why you should start your own company sounds more compelling than Rob’s. Agree with the sentiment, even though I’ve not done it for myself yet. (do your worst Andy)
Funny comments about Steve Jobs resignation, but it’s still a sad day for him and the company.
Comment by Pete August 25, 2011 @ 7:42 amstop trying to take auntie fucking georges crown. you can be mary fucking poppins but not auntie.
and im going to leave it there because your face is your biggest punishment. and being a planner.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 8:07 amA lot of people have started companies in order to pursue the equivalent of their “personal artistic endeavours”. Indeed to want to start your own company must in some sense be an act of pure ego.
I’m guessing that what you learned was not commercial focus (that was already there), but the perseverance, agility and self-criticism that comes from having to fund your own safety-net.
Comment by john August 25, 2011 @ 8:00 amhe learnt to get in bed with fuckers wholl do all the hard work and pay him all the fucking cash without so much as lifting a fucking finger. probably best business move in the history of business moves. bastard.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 8:06 amAre you drunk John? That sounds awfully like a compliment.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 9:12 amIt is around 2-3am in the UK, it’s probable John’s just back from the pub. That said it doesn’t explain the fancy words, lots of three and four syllables in there. And it does sound like a compliment
Comment by Willem van der Horst August 25, 2011 @ 10:18 amOne of your best posts Robert.
Comment by George August 25, 2011 @ 10:29 amIn addition, I would add we never adopted the attitude of being a start-up, we started with the single intention of doing the most commercially interesting things with the World’s biggest and best from day one. Many may be able to question whether we were successful in achieving our goal, but when I look at the lives we now all lead because of that wonderful adventure, I feel confident to categorically say we were.
Yep, with a whole lot of twists, turns, fuck-ups and excitement along the way. Best years of my life, till we started giving Andy a salary.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 10:48 amyou exploited me more than a fucking nike sweat shop shoe maker.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 10:56 amAnd are you OK? And home?
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 12:57 pmWhile not having a full blown business with employees just yet, I’ve worked in enough different areas and now working for myself I’m certainly clear it I’m not funding my own artistic endeavours (unless you count trying to make money for myself and then do artistry on my own time). The excitement of making my own money and trying to find good people to work with / for is really fulfilling though.
Comment by Willem van der Horst August 25, 2011 @ 10:32 amor a complete fucking pain in the arse.
Comment by andy@cynic August 25, 2011 @ 10:57 amI haven’t done it long enough for it to be fully the case, just occasional little itches. I’m sure it’ll come soon enough, not to worry.
Comment by Willem van der Horst August 25, 2011 @ 12:38 pmEverybody around the world should start his own business. The best way to deal with a crisis and unemployment…
Dear god, life is hell…
Comment by jim August 25, 2011 @ 10:35 amNot sure about this one Rob.
Comment by Marcus August 25, 2011 @ 4:10 pmThat’s OK, it’s not a dictatorship. Ha.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 6:13 pmMore like a banana republic.
Comment by john August 25, 2011 @ 6:23 pmThat’s another compliment. Well, where I am concerned it is.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 6:41 pmLet’s all start our own agency, and in 5 years time we’ll all be working together in a new holding group…
Actually.
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 25, 2011 @ 6:46 pmAn informal network of independent agencies who work together, but without a controlling influence would be interesting.
There’s already a couple of those Rob, all pretty underground – mainly because they can’t let go of their egos to focus on the bigger opportunity, let alone their belief they all do more than the others so deserve a bigger slice of the cash pie.
Comment by Rob August 25, 2011 @ 7:04 pmShame. Maybe one day…
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 25, 2011 @ 7:40 pmI don’t want to provoke trouble, I know you all had your reasons and I’m aware you’re all happy with what you’re doing, but do you regret moving on from cynic?
Comment by Pete August 25, 2011 @ 11:30 pmRob is in gadget heaven. Andy is propping up the Canadian construction industry and George is surrounded by old colleagues like Billy. They’re living the dream.
Comment by john August 26, 2011 @ 12:07 ambilly fucked off ages ago but pete is still with george so im guessing hes asking the question because auntie is giving him the fucking shits and he longs for the days where my genius leadership kept plannerboys in fucking check and not everything was about being anti fucking evil.
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2011 @ 12:11 amwell i dont miss katerinas fucking ruski ape of a boyfriend coming in every fucking day dragging his hairy bastard knuckles behind him and giving me threatening looks because shes gone to get me a fucking drink but i do miss having an excuse to not go to fucking canada so its swings and fucking roundabouts. i know you miss me pete but youre part of a long fucking queue except everyone else is young, hot and female.
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