11 Lessons In 11 Years

Last month marked 11 years in business for Smith.

That’s 2,870 days.

And it’s flown by.

When I look back at how we started, two graduates in a shed with two macs, heaps of ambition but more naivety – it makes me proud. I don’t often look back too much, it’s more a case of what next? What does the next year look like, or mostly – the next 3 months.

Here’s 11 thoughts from my 11 years in business.

1 – Purpose

As all business owners know, you need grit. It’s a mental rollercoaster; one minute you can win a job and the next you can lose one. I learnt early on that being driven solely by money is poisonous. Being driven by mastery and purpose is way more fulfilling. I’ve always read about purpose, but then a mentor of mine worked through a purposing exercise with me and it has made a real impact. Purpose is powerful, and all our team members have one.

2 – Ask

When you don’t ask, you don’t get. Ask for the sale, ask for more time, ask for an introduction, ask for a chat, ask and things start to open up. I’ve constantly reached out to people who I admire over the years and it’s been worth it 100x fold.

3 – Never give up

My art teacher at school said I wasn’t good enough to get into art college and one of my earlier bosses said I wasn’t creative. Sometimes I think about this and in a parallel universe think what if I’d given up? Don’t let one person’s perspective colour your entire direction of travel. There’s 8 billion people out there, and some people let one person’s point of view impact their career.

4 – Never stop learning

If you’re not growing, you are dying. 

5 – Stay in your own lane

It’s easy to compare.  I think there’s a superpower in being ruthlessly focused on yourself, and being a better version of yourself every day. Run your own race.

6 – Trust the instinct

There’s some force at work, we just need to go with the flow and trust our instinct more.

7 – Focus on the few

Few things really matter. 

8 – Find the edge

There’s always a way to win, it just depends how much you want it.

9 – Be yourself

When we first set up the business, I was intimidated about all the suits and ties and reserved language. 11 years on, the best relationships are with people who we are our genuine selves with.

10 – Understand people

It still amazes me how many marketing and design agencies don’t understand how the human mind works. As a team, we talk about behavioral science every day, and it makes our work more effective. Whether it’s communications or business. Understand people, and you understand business.

11 – Be still

It’s busy out there. Being calm in the face of adversity is the ultimate edge. 

Here’s to the next 11.