Passion

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The Journey: Top 10 learnings from starting a small business.

Starting this journey a few months ago has been a roller coaster – fun, challenging, had its up and downs and a little scary. I’ve enjoyed the flexibility and the ability to carve out my own path. In this short amount of time, I’ve learned a lot on this journey, including:

Crazy hard. 

I have always been impressed and admired those who have had the courage, confidence, and determination to go out on their own. Especially those whose hard work pays off and can create something successful and impactful. 

Unlike large organizations, it’s all on you to create success. Given this, it’s a ton of work. The amount of foundational work at the point of creating is high. and includes LLC creation, tax info, branding, templates, and platforms like your site, etc.

Three paths.

A key is being able to multitask – juggling building a brand, working on initial client business, and prospecting for new business to continue to grow. Each one is critically important. If fortunate, you have to do in parallel.

It’s always important to have each touchpoint be strong but crucial when starting out. Each one is setting a tone for things to come.

People business.

I have always had the opinion that relationships matter. Your network. Understanding who is great already so you know who to leverage when you need help. And you’ll need help. 

But I’ve never really invested the time for connections as much as I should have. Networking, conferences, etc. Something that I’ve learned matters and focused on doing in the future.

Smile more. 

Studies show the power of smiling. People want to interact and spend time with people that smile. Yea. Ha. I’m a pretty even keel person and don’t show emotions. This serves as a nice reminder to pump up the energy and emotions. 

Continuously learning.

Starting something brand new there are a ton of unknowns. Leverage online tools, networks, and LinkedIn to continuously learn.

LinkedIn has some great training in their LinkedIn Learning series. They are easy to do and pretty quick. I recommend downloading the app and carving a little time throughout the week to continue to improve yourself. Here’s an example that ties into smiling…https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creating-great-first-impressions/your-first-impression-challenge

Financial game plan.

Not a ton of fun, but having a financial game plan is crucial. Work with an account and financial advisor that you trust to make sure the foundation is strong. Also, make sure you have contracts with those that you pull in. I’ve learned this one the hard way.

The small things.

Don’t let being “busy” be an excuse to not do the little things. The term busy is I think a trap. It’s an out to not do things you should do. Send a note back to someone who reaches out of the blue. Go to coffee with an old acquaintance. Reply to an email, even if just a couple of words. Help someone that could use it. Carve out time to make these things happen. I was pretty bad at this.

Templates

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Leverage the templates/content sources that are out there that you can customize. And wow, are there a ton. Test them out and see what you like best. Then document which ones you like. Here are a few of my favorites:

Envato: templates for designing everything from presentations in keynote to designing communications.

Graphic River: more templates and can purchase one-off.

Unsplash: stock photography that you don’t have image issues and is free.

Are you a Tiger or a Roger?

There’s a great book called Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Everyone knows Tiger Woods’ story. Child golf prodigy when most kids are learning how to talk and walk. But did you know that arguably the greatest tennis player that ever lived grew up playing multiple sports, focusing much later on tennis?

Most think the best route in life is to specialize in something. This book contradicts this opinion and outlines why being a generalist/hybrid is a better path. So the question is, which one are you? I’ve figured out that I’m a hybrid.

Determined.

So it’s early. Still learning and enjoying the journey. The key is staying determined and focused. For those out there doing the same, congrats and best of luck.

If you want any advice or need any marketing support that leverage this learning, visit: https://brianphelpsconsulting.com/contact/

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Leadership: the Anti-CEO Playbook.

We’ve all seen TED Talks. There’s a lot of them. But I recommend taking less than 18 minutes to watch the founder of Chobani Hamdi Ulukaya’s talk on leadership.

CEOs play an instrumental role in business. They set the tone for the ship. The term Anti-CEO is, in my opinion, is a little drastic but his story and points are compelling.

Grounded in the American dream, he created a billion dollar company by starting with an abandoned yogurt factory, and led by four key principles: Grattitude, Community, Responsibility & Accountability:

Grattitude:

Businesses should take care of their employees first. Not the balance sheet or shareholders.

Community:

Ask what you can do for your community rather than what your community can do for you.

Responsibility:

Businesses must take a side in politics. Touchy topic in today’s climate. But agree that businesses can have a huge impact on our world.

Accountability:

CEO reports to the community. Everyone is empowered to make change. And consumers should reward those businesses that are doing it right.

His recap is spot on:

  • Right with people.
  • Right with community. 
  • Right with product.
  • You will be more profitable. More innovative. More passionate people and you will have a community that supports you. 

Already a fan of the product, knowing who is at the wheel and their story, will remind me which yogurt I should grab next time at the store.

For more leadership ideas, feel free to contact Brian Phelps Consulting: https://brianphelpsconsulting.com/contact/

References: thanks to TED Talks for use. https://www.ted.com/#/

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Leadership: The Power of “We”

“The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” – Lewis B. Ergen

The smallest words can have a huge impact on a team, both directly and indirectly. This includes using “we” as a replacement to the term “I” in your daily vocabulary. Harvard Business Journal published a great article about the power of “we”. It cites research from Journal of Language and Social Psychology and finds:

  • When people feel insecure, self-aware, or diminished, they are more likely to focus their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors inward.
  • By contrast, the researchers theorized that individuals using first-person plural and second-person (such as “we,” “us,” or “you”) ought to demonstrate an outward focus, considering the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others.
  • Individuals with lower status overwhelmingly tended to use first-person singular pronouns (“I”).
  •  Likewise, higher status individuals used significantly more first-person plural (“we”) pronouns. 
  • While switching from singular “I” to the plural “we” it might help shift your perspective from self-focused to others-focused, make you more aware of the needs of others and, as you work to meet those needs, might just make you a better leader.

It’s hard to get used to doing because it sounds a little strange but has a lot of collective benefits:

  • Communicates that you understand that you’re a part of team
  • Gives credit to the broader team
  • Reinforces that you are not more important than the team
  • Shows that you are secure with your role in the team

For all leaders, I recommend the use of we in your daily vinocular. This is especially true for account team leads as you are tasked to be the voice of the collective team, both internally and with clients. Below are a few examples of singular-focused uses and suggestions for you to use moving forward:

  • “my client” vs. “our client”
  • “my POV” vs. “our POV”
  • “my account” vs. “our account”
  • “I did” vs. “we did”
  • “I need” vs. “we need”
  • “if you have questions, let me know” vs. “if you have questions, let us know”
  • “my opinion” vs. “our opinion”

Side note: you can never have enough good quotes in advertising, especially as you build presentations. Below are a few other teamwork quotes that I like:

  • “Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
  • “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
  • “A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of others.” – Norman Shidle 
  • “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” – Reid Hoffman
  • “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry Truman

For more leadership advice or formal training for your team, feel free to reach out to: brianphelpsconsulting.com.

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Traditional agency vs. in-house agency

Interesting to observe clients bringing their advertising development in-house. Based on my experience, agree with Digiday’s analysis below regarding the pros/cons. But I believe there are three keys to success:

1. Passion: Being able to replicate the agency’s tenacity to deliver. Agencies bend over backwards to deliver on behalf of clients. The key is matching this passion to deliver when it’s done by co-workers rather than a partner.

2. Talent: ability to recruit diverse creative talent to work in-house and breakaway from agency background.

3. Management: having excellent oversight that helps inspire, prioritize and provides new and innovative opportunities to continuously stay driven.

Per Digiday article:

https://digiday.com/marketing/moving-marketing-house-control-speed-not-worth-hassle/

For in-house:

  • Greater speed and efficiency
  • Reduced costs
  • Control

Against in-house:

  • Talent doesn’t want to work on just one brand
  • Media buying is time consuming
  • Agency have more insights
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10 Keys to Successfully Onboard Client Business

New business is truly a roller coaster. The ups and downs. The uncertainty. With it comes competing against the best of the best. The need for game planning. The endless determination to be victorious. It’s the lifeblood of our business. Without it, your business will not thrive. Not much is sweeter than getting the call that the hard work you invested, paid off.

And then once you win, you have that moment of:

Oh crap, now we have to bring to life what we just pitched…and quickly. 

I’ve been fortunate to be on the winning side of several pitches and had this moment, both large and small accounts. Two things are constant – they are a lot of work and each one is different. But they are so worth it as it helps growth and brings new opportunities to the organization.

Thorough, fast and smooth.

I define successful transitions as those that are thorough, fast, and relatively smooth. Clients are satisfied with the experience and it serves as helping build confidence in your ability to manage their business. Internally they don’t cause a ton of disruption to the organization. Based on my experience, here are the 10 keys to onboarding a new client:

1.  “It’s not personal. It’s business.”

As they say in the movie You’ve Got Mail (20+ years old already, wow!…), it’s not personal. It’s business. But it’s really hard to put emotions to the side during transitions. Jobs are directly impacted. Questions abound wondering what the losing company could have done differently.

If you just lost the business, you are most likely frustrated, mad and fluctuating between the 7 stages of grief. Remember the decision was not personal.

If you just won the business, be empathetic and not judgmental. If you are in the business long enough like me, you’ll be on both sides. Not to mention you probably need some level of support from them to help ensure a smooth transition. 

2. Onboarding foundation.

It’s key to have an overall approach to onboarding business. What is your organization’s overall onboarding process, who is involved, what agency templates are used? It should not be dependent on a specific type of business. It serves as the foundation and can be used in pitches and then needs to be customized to the specific pitch you are working on.

3. Strategize on how to win.

As you progress through the new business process and get closer to the decision, you should be thinking about what it’ll take to onboard the business. Carve out time to take in what you’ve learned through the new business journey and customize the plan to the client’s needs. What are the expectations on timing, on resources, on the process, to what stays constant from the previous agency? Start with the end in mind. And work backward on the steps to get there. I recommend collaborative whiteboard sessions to map it all out. 

4. Establish a core team.

Establish a diverse team that will lead this account and reflective of the groups that will be on the client business such as account, creative, media, strategy leadership roles. This is a team that has experience doing transitions and have been in some way a part of the pitch. These team members need to be hardworking and dedicated. They need to be empowered to make broad decisions across the entire business and comfortable having transparent/direct conversations.

5. Establish a support team.

This is representative of who the core team will be regularly interfacing with to move the account forward. This includes Human Resources, Finance, Project Management, office logistics lead, etc. They are helpful, understand the urgency and importance and able to move quickly.

6. Prioritization.

Break down everything that needs to be done into digestible pieces. Attempting to tackle everything at once can feel extremely overwhelming. Identify what projects are immediate/must-haves, nice to have, and lastly a category of in a perfect world. Put your best and fastest resources on the immediate needs. Do the same for the new positions. 

7. Talent is key.

The pressure to hire talent quickly is a given. It’s easy to give in and fill the holes. Don’t do it. I’ve hired a couple times due to pressure and it has never worked out. It’s better to explain the situation and why it is taking longer versus filling it with the wrong person. “Cross interviewing” is recommended where team members from other groups interview the candidate as well. For example, if it’s an account opening, have the creative and strategy team members represented in the interview. When hiring, don’t forget about the team members that helped you get there and see if they would be a good match for the new positions. It’s a great way to acknowledge existing internal resources. 

8. Hot huddles.

No one wants more meetings but I recommend daily huddles with the core team and a couple times a week with the support team. They are 15 minutes max so you need to go fast and are in the morning to start the day. Document the discussion to include: 

    – Client understanding 

    – Timing 

    – Process

    – Key Projects

    – Resources 

    – Logistics 

9. Progress tracker.

Keep an ongoing tracker that documents the progress being made on a daily/weekly basis. This will help show clients the hard work being implemented and what is remaining. It can also be used to communicate with the broader agency to help energize the collective team.

10. Have fun.

Remember that winning business is a good thing. It’s hard to see the forest through the trees but your hard work and dedication are positively impacting others. Carve out moments along the onboarding journey to thank team members and show appreciation.  

 If you or your business are going through a transition and need guidance or have questions, feel free to reach out to brianphelpsconsulting.com. 

Good luck!

Wikipedia contributors. (2019, June 26). You’ve Got Mail. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:17, July 4, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=You%27ve_Got_Mail&oldid=903559829

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Experiential in the D: Rocket Mortgage Classic is a MUST ATTEND EVENT.

I had the opportunity to attend the first ever PGA golf event in Detroit. I must say it was truly top notch and recommend that if you like golf, and even you don’t but are a fan of Detroit, you need to carve out time this weekend to experience. A few highlights:

Overall experience: you can tell right away a significant amount of time spent on the fan experience. Although I didn’t have time to check out the fan zone, the whole experience is with fans at the forefront, including:

Proximity to the pros: I’ve been told pros were talking about the closeness of fans to action. Players concern, fans win.

Kid friendly: if you have little one(s), make sure to take them. Dedicated autograph zone where they can get autographs from the best in the world. Rickie to Bubba, to local Oakland University fan favorite Brian Stuard all graciously signed endless autographs. Fist bumps and high fives fan acknowledgement were a plenty, including from U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland. Even Red Wings celeb Gustav Nyquist graciously signed.

Logistics: from parking at the Fair Grounds and then taking an air conditioned shuttle to maps and convenient concessions placement, all were thought through. (note: make sure to download the PGA Tour app in advance as it helps you track real-time where players are, scores, etc.).

313: a nice Detroit zip code shout out where there are public stands at the 14, 15 and 16th holes with a pro challenge.

Cleanliness: course pathways are in great shape and clean.

Small quirks, which are expected at new events and some outside of their control, were:

  • Internet access: might have been just my phone but wireless was hit or miss. Turn battery to low power to save on it dying.
  • Car location: Fair grounds are a blast from the past and pretty much a ghost town. No parking location signage, which as long as you have a good key fob you will be fine.
  • Hot: although there are shady areas thanks to trees, public stands are not shaded that much. Load up on the sunscreen. Given Michigan’s bad weather, I’ll take this anyday.
  • Location: 7 mile and Woodward. The transformation hasn’t made it that far up Woodward yet. But with investment from brands like Quicken, I have full faith it will soon be making it’s way up the road. And just the fact that they can market it as a the first PGA event in Detroit makes it worthwhile.

Kudos to Dan Gilbert and his entire team. Their passion, hard work and determination shined a positive spotlight on Detroit for the whole world to see. And this Michigander appreciates it.

Event info: https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/rocket-mortgage-classic.html

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What to do?: Making a Career Decision

When facing a hard decision such as taking a new position versus staying where you are or choosing between two new positions and don’t know when one is best, this might help… I believe in evaluating them based of four key criteria: opportunity, security, culture and financials.

OPPORTUNITY:

If you are like most, you want to continuously learn and have new challenges. Doing the same thing over and over gets tiring. Are there new opportunities for you and your team? Are you going to feel challenged? New accounts, new channels, employee training, ability to do things you haven’t ever done before.

SECURITY:

In today’s world is any position really secure? But is there a lot of turnover at the organization, are there recurring layoffs that happen on a regular basis. Are accounts disappearing? Is there new business coming in to help offset losses if they are taking place.

CULTURE:

A really big one. You are going to be spending a ton of time in that work environment, working with team members on a daily basis. Is it an environment that you are going to like? Do others like it. Is there a crazy amount of drama? Does it encourage growth and advancement, especially internal advancement? Does it reflect what you believe in. Can you envision yourself working there for a long time?

FINANCIALS:

For this area it’s really easy to go right to how much you are getting paid. True, huge factor. But what else from financial standpoint should you be factoring in: healthcare, 401K, bonus, small perks, allowances, commute costs, etc.

Analysis: Once you’ve developed your list based off these four areas, now prioritize the areas. If you are just starting out it’s probably more financials than security. If you are at a place that has a lot of turnover and have been burned before, security is more important for you. Prioritize them and then compare the different options.

Conclusion: Congrats on multiple options! Know that there is risk and uncertainty with all decisions but the more time you invest in weighing the options the higher the likelihood, you’ll make the right choice. Good luck!

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Top 12: Business Values

After more time in this crazy space than I care to share and working on numerous brands across pretty much every channel, I feel the keys to success are the values below. Each one brings a different perspective – from how to work with people to how to win new business to working philosophy. For those NCIS fans, think Gibbs’ Rules. Here’s my top 12. Be on the lookout for detailed posts about each one in the coming months.

  1. The secret sauce is having a combination of: fostering unwavering relationships, delivering “product” excellence that are grounded on client’s objectives and exceeds their expectations, and a ton of passion.
  2. We not I.
  3. We are in the People Business.
  4. Strategize to Win.
  5. Crashing Collaboration.
  6. Decreasing the Pain.
  7. Slow Down to Speed Up.
  8. Go over Show.
  9. Expect the Unexpected.
  10. Never Settle.
  11. Hard Work and Hustle.
  12. And have a little fun along the way….

So what are your business values?

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The Journey Continues

Brian Phelps Consulting officially kicks off….

1999:

In 1999, Friends, Frasier and ER were big hits on NBC. Boy bands dominated the radio and Napster had just launched, completely changing the music industry. Y2K fears ran rapid, minimum wage was $5.15, gas was $0.99 and I started my first “real job” at an agency. After almost two decades at the same place and a ton of success, including C-suite before 40, numerous high-profile and global new business wins, leading and growing both auto/non-auto accounts, I decided it was time for a big change.

The next chapter:

After a long overdue break, in March Brian Phelps Consulting was created. Tapping into the experience and knowledge of the space, now working with local agencies on all things marketing, including their communications and new business pitches. I’m excited about the next chapter.

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