Agency Growth Series: Red Antler
Our fourth guest on our Agency Growth Series is Emily Heyward — Co-Founder of Red Antler — shares how she started, scaled, and grew Red Antler and how she managed to get some of the most inspiring startups like Behance, Hinge and Allbirds as clients. Emily shares insights on how to maintain a balance between your personal life and career, the role of artificial intelligence in Red Antler, and shares advice for upcoming small design studios trying to grow.
👉 About Red Antler:
Red Antler is the leading creative agency for startups and new ventures based in Brooklyn. Established in 2007, their clients include Hinge, Prose, AllTrails, Birchbox, Foursquare, Casper, Outerspace and many more.
Red Antler's methodology, characterised by its emphasis on creating memorable brand names, focuses on lifestyle benefits over technical features, and by deploying imaginative marketing campaigns, has established itself as the go-to partner for startups looking to make a lasting impact in their respective industries.
👀 Watch the full interview below, but if you're in a hurry, we've picked out main highlights for you right here:
Here are five key insights for agency founders based on the conversation with Emily Heyward, the Co-Founder of Red Antler:
1. 🎯 Focus on your strategy. The success of Red Antler is deeply rooted in intertwining strategy with creativity from the outset. Build out your agency's strategic capabilities as a way to differentiate and add value beyond simply design or creative output, and differentiate yourself from competitors. Your strategy should be flexible enough to allow for inevitable business twists and turns. When strategy is at the core of your agency, it will help you make informed decisions that align with the company's long-term goals and consumer needs.
2. 📈 Expand your agency's offerings. Aim to provide services that meet the C-level needs, helping clients to grow. This might include broadening services beyond just design to strategy, which can secure larger clients and budgets.
3. 🤖 Embrace AI. As AI continues to impact the creative industry, founders should approach it as a valuable tool rather than a threat. AI can assist in conveying visions and performing tasks but hasn't replaced the need for deep, strategic thinking and unique creativity.
4. 🌒 Keep the flexibility your employees seek. Red Antler boosts its staff retention by embracing flexibility. Allowing the team to work remotely, live somewhere else for up to three months, or not having to come in every single day of the work week, can make a big difference and help your agency keep your talent.
5. 🙌 Engage in open dialogue and ensure clarity about project goals and progress. Red Antler's most crucial 'tool' for growth has been effective communication and transparency. This is how you can maintain your team alignment and motivation. Strong communication helps manage projects and cultivate a unified team amidst scaling.
Watch other episodes here:
Steve Bell, former Co-Founder of Iris, on growing a 1000-employee agency.
Natalie Graeme, Co-Founder of Uncommon, on choosing the right projects and communication with clients.
Abi Freeman, Co-Founder of Brink, on creating an inspiring culture in your agency.
We also have a practical hands-on programme for Creative Directors, Heads of UX, Design Directors, Heads of Innovation, and Founders with 15+ years of experience who want to acquire business and strategic knowledge to be better leaders.
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