In 20 years, it’s remarkable how our business has transformed and sharpened its focus.
Stewart recently wrote an article about the shifting nature of the inquiries we receive. One question in particular struck me: “Our sales prospects don’t seem to understand the full potential and value of our offering. How can we change this?”
Notice it doesn’t mention the word “brand.” Instead, it highlights “value” in a monetary sense - and this is what struck me. This shift signifies our growth and our ability to discuss value and help clients strategise on how to communicate it. We’ve moved beyond simply being a creative agency to addressing commercial issues. It’s satisfying and affirms to me that we’ve joined the business grown ups.
In the early days we were a design firm, eager to take on any project that came our way from friends, family and referral. The tasks were framed in units of their eventual output. So, it was either a brochure for company X or a logo and stationery set for company Y. It was fast, fun and dynamic and we loved it - these early days hold very fond memories.
But after a while, the process became just a little bit hollow. We noticed that although the clients clearly enjoyed the process, it seemed reactionary and transactional. There wasn’t a particularly deep connection to a wider business strategy. The design process was fun, but essentially an isolated task that could have been articulated a thousand ways. This feeling grew and we eventually pivoted into brand and became scholars of how brand was understood and leveraged by business for commercial gain. This changed the calculus of how and who we did business with. It was the starting point for us on our journey to becoming a fully fledged brand consultancy. We understood that design had a key role to play, but the playing field was much broader. Brand and “strategy” fed directly into the business’s decision making. Perhaps it was no surprise that our vision became “helping to make brands
and branding to be better understood, respected and valued”. We wanted to spread the word.
Fast-forward 10 years, and we're helping clients unlock their business's growth potential. As the questions in Stewart’s article suggest, the agency has moved beyond "can we get a new logo" requests and into questions around growth, opening up different conversations. We’ve ended up here as a byproduct of wanting to create effective branding for our clients, which reaches beyond marketing and into sales and the boardroom. It’s excellent, fulfilling work that allows our clients to articulate themselves effectively to customers, increasing sales and raising margins.
My own experience tells me that running a business is a brutal full-contact sport. It’s tough and frequently chaotic. But moments of clarity, like now, provide a rewarding sense of satisfaction and a reminder of how far we’ve come. We’ve made a difference.
At Good, we love hearing other peoples’ business stories, so please drop us a line if you’ve anything to share. We’d love to hear all about over a coffee.
Thanks for reading.
Chris
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