Talia Cotton on starting an agency after leaving Pentagram

Chief Design Officer Series: Episode 1 Claudia Abt, Chief Design Officer at citizenM hotels oversees design and space planning for new hotel developments. She shares her perspective on being a designer at the C-level, what she had to learn when she became a Chief Design Officer and what value she brings to the business through design. Join Future London Academy for the first episode of Chief Design Officer Series, where we talk to Chief Design Officers of the most forward-thinking businesses. https://fla.wiki/4fbtJ3f

In our new interview, Stefan Sagmeister legendary designer, typographer and co-founder of Sagmeister & Walsh shares thoughts on the evolution of his career, design agencies and creative process. Watch the full interview to hear more about: 👉 Why scaling is not the best way 👉 What is the future of creative industry 👉 How to create purpose-driven work This episode is a must-watch for creative leaders and changemakers seeking inspiration and practical wisdom from one of the industry's greats. 00:00 Stefan Sagmeister: A Design Legend 00:44 Balance Productivity and Creativity 02:45 The Shift from Commercial to Self-Initiated Projects 03:38 Exploring Long-Term Perspectives in Design 06:14 How to work with clients? 12:25 The Evolution of Stefan's Design Career 18:19 Advice for Designers 22:04 Reflections on Running a Design Company 26:16 The Future of the Design Industry and Final Thoughts For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme. Learn more and Apply 👉 https://bit.ly/3wXJox1 #leadership #design #designinspiration #designleadership

In this engaging conversation, Timothy Goodman shares his journey from working with top brands like Apple, Nike, Google, Samsung, MoMa, Netflix, YSL, Time, The New Yorker to his passion for public art, personal expression, and tackling societal issues through his work. Learn about his creative process, the balance between commercial and personal projects, and the challenges and risks he has faced along the way. During our interview Timothy shared how to balance commercial and passion work, how he hires team, why he never was a freelancer and why it is important to create artworks for people. Watch the full interview to find out: 👉 How to balance passion and commercial projects 👉 How to create art and design that make impact 👉 How to find the right people for projects 👉 Timothy's unique philosophy behind creating his art TIME CODES 00:00 Who is Timothy Goodman? 01:05 Timothy Goodman on self-Expression 02:21 Evolution of Timothy's Creative Process 03:54 Creative career challenges 06:52 Balancing Personal and Commercial Work 08:36 Creative Team Dynamics and Finding the Right Fit 18:19 Taking Risks and Personal Projects 25:36 Current Work Philosophy 35:08 Final Thoughts For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme. Learn more and Apply 👉 https://bit.ly/3wXJox1 #designleadership #leadership

Join us in a conversation with Veronica Fuerte, Creative Directress and Founder of Hey Studio, a Barcelona-based creative agency known for its colourful, playful geometric designs. Hey Studio worked with many clients worldwide, including Google and Apple. During our interview, Veronica shared insights from her 16-year leadership journey why it's important to hire a coach, keep your team small, and how to succeed by working in your own unique style and build confidence as a leader. 💎 00:00 Meet Veronica Fuerte, Founder oh Hey Studio 01:26 Veronica's Early Career Journey and Agency Vision 03:50 Expanding Hey Studio: Side Projects and Merch Store 06:45 Managing Growth and Team Dynamics 11:38 Why to hire a coach? 21:31 Women at Work: Insights and Challenges 23:28 Authenticity and Personal Style 29:40 Final Thoughts #designinspiration #leadership #design

In this engaging conversation, Talia Cotton shares her journey from working at Pentagram to starting her design studio — Cotton Design. She talks about the challenges of the first year of being an agency founder, the main leadership lessons she learned and insights on building and managing a team. Watch the full interview to find out: 👉 Three things you must do when starting an agency 👉 How and who to hire during the first year 👉 How to build your network and find new clients 👉 What Talia will never ever do with her team 👉 Where she goes for inspiration 00:00 Hello Hello Hello 01:16 Leaving Pentagram and starting a design studio 03:30 What you need to do before starting an agency 05:58 Winning creative work or how to find clients as a creative agency founder 08:06 How to pitch yourself in the creative industry 09:25 Hiring and Building a Team 12:23 Teaching and how it helps to hire design talent 13:10 How to hire talent during the first year 15:30 Two key lessons on hiring from Michael Bierut, partner at Pentagram 17:35 Inside look into how Pentagram works 22:53 The most important thing in the first year of running an agency 25:53 What you need to consider before you take a project 27:04 Things you need to do to get more clients 28:45 Working from Office VS Remote team 29:15 Where to look for inspiration when you are an agency founder 33:49 If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme. Learn more and Apply 👉 https://bit.ly/3wXJox1

This month we had an inspiring conversation with Martin Raymond, Co-Founder of Future Laboratory. He shared his insights into the future and how we can prepare for what awaits us in the coming years. We discussed the skills leaders will need in the future, the role of impact metrics in business and how creatives can succeed in the boardroom.

How do you succeed as a start-up? How do you grow your agency from 20 to 100 people? How can you carve your niche in the market?  In our last episode of Agency Growth Stories, Emily Heyward, co-founder of Red Antler – the leading creative agency for startups and new ventures, including Hinge, Prose and AllTrails – shares her insights on these questions and more.  Emily was named among the Most Important Entrepreneurs of the Decade, a Top Female Founder and one of the Most Powerful Women of 2019 by Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.🔥 Here is what we covered in our chat with this creative legend:  00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Emily Heyward?  00:01:15 - Rapid Fire Questions 00:03:30 - Red Antler: How It All Started 00:14:25 - Defining Your Clients & Revenue as a Start-Up 00:18:53 - Growing Beyond 2 People: InHouse vs. Freelance 00:21:50 - Bringing In Clients in the Early Days 00:26:30 - Hiring & Establishing and Effective Team Structure  00:35:34 - Pricing Projects as an Agency  00:40:15 - What You Need to Change as a Leader to Grow 00:44: 22 - Where is Red Antler now? 00:46:05 - The Future of Small & Mid Agencies  00:47:15 - Opportunities in the Current Market 00:50:27 - Transparency within the Agency 00:52:15 - What Keeps You Going as a Founder? 00:56:24 - How a Project-Based Business Works: Hiring vs. Freelancing 00:59:03 - Helping Clients Understand the Importance of Brand  01:04:28 - Marketing and Community as Part of Your Brand Strategy 01:08:08 - AI in the Creative Industry: Uses and Shortcomings  01:12:00 - Key Things to Define for a Client’s Strategy  01:14:02 - How Do You Keep Key People Without Giving Equity Away? 01:17:50 - Can You Growth Without Expanding Your Services?  01:20:10 - Final Thoughts For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme: https://fla.wiki/3TBeTLq Get more inspiration from us on other channels:  ➤ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurelondonacademy ➤ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/FLondonAcademy ➤  LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/school/future-london-academy/

What is the key to rapid growth? When is it time to expand your team? How should you approach a global expansion?  In this episode of Agency Growth Stories, Natalie Graeme, Co-Founder of Uncommon – Europe’s fastest-growing start-up in advertising history, answers these questions and more, as she shares her experience of growing Uncommon from 0 to over 200 employees, working with global brand partners – including ITV, WWF, British Airways and SiriusXM –  and creating a memorable brand identity through ingenious PR strategies.  Here is what we covered:  00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Natalie Graeme?  00:01:11 - Rapid Fire Question 00:06:11 - Early Days: The Formative Years of Uncommon  00:09:55 - Uncommon’s Studio Model 00:14:35 - Uncommon’s Rapid Growth & Secret to Success 00:23:40 - Uncommon’s Global Expansion &The Strategy Behind It 00:32:23 - Growing Beyond 30 People: When to Hire and How to Structure Your Team 00:44:45 - From 70 to 240 People and How Your Role as a Founder Changes Questions from the Audience:  00:52:20 - What are the Most Common Mistakes of Agency Start-ups in The Early Days? 00:53:50 - How do you Control Quality and Production during Growth in a Joint Venture? 00:54:53 - How do you Manage Client-Side Delays and Keep Things Running?  00:56:20 - How do you Balance Hiring Full-Time Vs. Freelance? 00:58:39 - How did you Secure Funds at the Start? 01:01:53 - How do you Select Clients?  01:03:33 - Do you work with Retainers or on a One-off Project Basis? 01:04:29 - What was Uncommon’s PR Strategy at the Beginning?  01:05:34 - What is the difference between your Studio Model and an Advertising Agency? 01:08:28 - How do you Get New Clients without Word of Mouth?  01:12:13 - How Important is the Agency’s Brand? Final Advice  01:15:08 - What Can You Do to Look After Yourself as a Founder?  01:16:50 - If You Could Change One Thing in the World, What Would It Be? For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme: https://fla.wiki/435hkc4 Get more inspiration from us on other channels:  ➤ https://www.instagram.com/futurelondonacademy ➤ https://twitter.com/FLondonAcademy ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/school/future-london-academy/

How do you grow from 6 to 1000 people? From £0 to £232 in revenue? When is it time to step down as CEO? Steve Bell, former Iris Co-Founder, and now CEO at Team17 Group managed over 1000 employees in 14 offices around the world and oversaw Iris' work with some of the biggest, most creatively driven and technologically advanced global brands.  Here is what we covered in the second episode of Agency Growth Stories with Steve:  00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Steve Bell?  00:02:56 - Fire Round Questions 00:11:50 - Iris’ Early Days and Fast Growth 00:16:14 - Culture over Money: Creating Meaningful Equity & Working with the Right Clients at Iris  00:21:35 - Multiple Founder Dynamic and Hierarchies   00:24:50 - Scaling Iris Globally & Tough Wake Up Calls 00:34:00 - Maturing Iris, Outside Investments, Mergers & Acquisitions 00:59:00 - Stepping Down as Founder and Becoming a CEO at Team17 01:04:50 - How Should You Start an Agency in 2024? 01:09:00 - The Future of Creative Consulting Services in the Age of AI 01:11:24 - Determining Who to Work With in the Early Days 01:13:45 - How to Keep & Grow Clients  01:18:25 - Pitching & Winning Business 01:22:18 - Last Words For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme:https://fla.wiki/4byNd0p Find us on: https://www.instagram.com/futurelondonacademy/  https://www.linkedin.com/school/future-london-academy/  https://twitter.com/FLondonAcademy 

How do you design a fail-proof hiring process? How do you balance purpose and profit in the early days? And how do you find your first clients? Get your answer in our first episode of Agency Growth Stories – a series where we talk to the founders of the world's leading agencies about what's on every founder's mind. Our first guest was the wonderful Abi Freeman — Co-Founder of Brink — an international consulting agency which uses Behavioural Innovation to advise on new ways of working to change the world. Here is what we covered: 00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Abi Freeman? 00:02:52 - Fire Round Questions 00:04:54 - Why Abi Co-Founded her Company Brink 00:08:01 - How to Find Your First Clients 00:12:17 - How and When to Grow Your Team 00:20:20 - Services to Keep External Rather than In-House 00:22:05 - How to Hire and Manage an International Distributed Team 00:29:12 - Brink’s Failproof Hiring Process: Hiring for Ways of Being Not Just Doing 00:34:21 - How to Build Intimacy with Your Team 00:39:00 - Purpose Vs. Profit, Finding Balance in the Early Days 00:48:18 - How to Measure the Impact of Your Projects 00:56:32 - Common Blinspots in Founders 00:58:01 - How to Get Clients through Networking 01:04:04 - How to Take the First Step to Start Your Agency 01:06:35 - How to Navigate Procurement Processes 01:14:05 - Behavioural Change and Climate Change 01:17:01 - Last Words For more leadership insights check our Design Leaders Programme: https://fla.wiki/4byNd0p Get more inspiration from us on other channels: https://www.instagram.com/futurelondonacademy/ https://twitter.com/FLondonAcademy https://www.linkedin.com/school/future-london-academy/