I
was asked to write this article by our Head of Marketing, Rukoosa Trevor for
use on our blog.
As
I contemplated on what to write, I started to reminisce about the past and the
journey to now.
Blush
was a true definition of a start up. We were about 10 young entrepreneurs with
a dream of making something of our selves.
We
started with a dining table as an office desk, used a borrowed camera and went
several months without pay.
We
now have more office desks than we need, a team of photographers, designers
& creative with the latest equipment; who get paid better than any others
in the same field.
The
leap from start up to market leader wasn’t a simple walk in the park. It was
more like a belly crawl through a jungle. We had to be patient; and keep
believing in our selves even when no one else would.
On
a personal level, being at the helm of Blush Media requires three things; personality,
resilience and good judgment.
Being
MD requires me to shoulder all of the company’s problems and in the past boy
were they many. When we started, I had to be on duty all the time, a jack erm Kenneth, of all trades. I had to be
the MD, the human resource manager, the administrator, the marketer, the
accountant, the copywriter, the creative director, the driver, the counsellor and
the creative.
The
role was consuming; so much so that most nights I fell asleep thinking about Blush.
I was constantly juggling thoughts from what I would have for dinner to whether
the landlord would give us another extension on rent, or where we would get the
money to replace the studio bulbs that had just blown.
Two
years later, things are much easier but I still fall asleep thinking about
blush and how we can keep getting better. Although we have a large team of
awesome individuals taking on all those individual roles, my job is to ensure
the growth of the company.
The privations involved in running this business are
mostly its volatility and inability to be make clients happy every time. It’s a farce to think that
you can operate in a high level market and still be able to make every client
happy every time. The true test of a good leader is ability to be calm under
pressure. How you respond to a situation that makes a client unhappy will
determine whether you will lose or retain a client.
Say
for example your creative team has spent sleepless nights coming up with a
pitch. The concept is sweet-out of the box stuff, artwork is great and the
client loves it. You execute and the shots make even the toughest of client’s
smile. Then its time to print the billboard skins and the printers do a shit
job.
These
are some of the hardest times; when you have to apologize to the client for
something that is beyond your control. At that point it’s a waste if time
losing your cool-although its okay to let the printers know how much they suck!
It’s important to first and foremost own up to the client and try to rectify
the mess.
Everyone
makes mistakes, but not everyone who does will own up and go out of their way
to correct it. A printer who acknowledges when they are at fault and fights to
the death to correct an error is one you keep. That’s why its always important
to choose the right suppliers.
After
the situation has been rectified, take the time to apologize again to the
client without sounding like a broken record. Reassure them that you have
everything under control and if you can offer freebies.
As
long as you have done everything in your power to save an account, don’t fret
too much if you lose the client. Rather learn from your mistakes and serve the
next one better.
Let’s
talk about the team for a second. It is almost impossible to run an agency
without team chemistry. Being MD requires you to know every individual team
member, their strengths and weaknesses, when they have their mojo or when they
are in a rut.
That’s
when personality comes in. I believe a great personality goes a long way with leading
a company. If you are the kind of leader that puts up walls, then it will be
difficult to read your team as everyone will always act a different way around you.
Almost
every creative I know likes to be complimented where they’ve done a good job.
Make sure to appreciate good work but also be ready to critique if something
isn’t to your liking. This not only builds confidence but promotes diligence
during the creative process.
Most
creative’s are horrible at spelling & grammar. Take it upon yourself not to
take anything for granted; it pays to give each design a thorough review before
it goes out. At Blush, it helps that all the creative sit next to each other at
the office; as Its easier for them to police each others grammar. Always urge
them to read out text loud before it is submitted. Reading text out loud is the
best way to notice mistakes.
Our
company slogan is to live your imagination and our motto is “the blush way”.
Every design, photograph or concept taken must pass “the blush way” test. The
Blush way is in taking time to understand a client brief, its in utilizing all
forms of media and pushing the limits of creativity. It’s non-conformity to
what is considered safe.
The
Blush way, is in delivering work on time without compromising quality, it is always
being helpful to a client and putting their needs before everything else.
The
Blush way is the way we dress, the way we talk, the way we think and my job is
to make sure the team understands that. Each individual member must become an
embodiment of it.
Being
the MD of this company has also taught me one great lesson. It pays to know
what you are selling. When you know everything that there is to know about your
service offering, chances are whoever you are selling to will buy quicker.
Most
importantly, if after two years you are still juggling every position in the
company then you aren’t doing your job well. It is important for you to build
proper structures and to empower your team.
Lastly, it is important to have a leader that
believes in prayer, fasting and tithing. I would like to believe that I have
led Blush to where it is now mostly through my belief in God and through prayer,
fasting and tithing.
Always asking God to intercede and go before me
every day has taken Blush through murky waters and protected us to now. Giving
back to God a tenth of my personal income has blessed me and most of these
blessings have spilled over to the company.
I will end with this, humility & the love of
God are virtues every leader should aspire to.
