When September ends it’ll be four years since we completed on the MBO of Good. In October 2019 my co-founder Keith stepped back and I led an MBO with 4 new partners who’d all helped to make the business a success. Sometimes people ask if we’d have made the same decision if we knew what turmoil lay around the corner; but I think we’re unanimous in feeling that we did the right thing. It's been tough, but I think that relationships forged through difficult times are ones that last.
We’re a different firm now than we were back then, focusing more on the B2B tech space and aspiring to wrestle with deeper strategic challenges. The creative and digital aspects still underpin the delivery of our solutions, but when they’re combined with the right strategic insight, something special happens. I still get a thrill from seeing it all come together, and it’s a privilege to see how these solutions can change business culture and deliver real value. I’m proud of the whole team - we’ve people who’ve been here for more than a decade, who are mature and skilled in their craft. That they choose to stay says something about how the business is run. That’s a nice feeling.
As Stewart outlined last month, it’s a tough market and we’re feeling the effects of the global economic slowdown. The agency game is hard. In my experience, we’re a leading indicator hard times are coming and a lagging indicator when things are on the up. Having said this, I feel more confident about our position now than 12 months ago when the UK economy went from fragile to farce with the infamous mini budget.
Our content just keeps on coming and The Good Brand Podcast is thriving. In September the analytics suggested we’d had 19,000 downloads. And just as the three of us were lining up our first ad for Zip Recruiter, we found out it was all rogue Chinese traffic, and we were scuppered. It is on a growth curve though, just much shallower. This month’s episode features an ex-client Ryan Schultz who’s talking us through what brand leadership looks like in a B2B tech firm.
We take our inspiration from you and our clients. So, if there’s something you’d like to hear us discussing on our podcast or writing about on our blog, drop me a line and we’ll be sure to pick it up.
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