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.