AKQA

Their roster of clients include Nike, Visa, Microsoft Corp and Coca-Cola. In February 2007, AKQA sold a majority stake to private-equity lords, General Atlantic, for $250 million. AKQA could have gone the holding company route but they insist that’s not on their menu for now. They are organic entrepreneurs, real entrepreneurs who, through delivered promises, created a powerful global presence. In this exclusive interview we dig deep and find out how businesses can be successful both at home and abroad and the key to keeping it all fluid.

Could you tell me a bit about your background in business? When kids think about ‘what they want to be when they grow up’ a lot dream of playing for their favourite football team. I was useless at football and there was no chance of me ever playing for Arsenal. So I wanted to work for Apple, as I’ve always been inspired by their relentless innovation. That dream came true while I was still a teenager and I felt very lucky to have been directly influenced by a company that has made such a huge and important contribution. Learning from companies like Apple and other good companies that I worked for while I was younger has had a big influence on me. I suppose it’s because of those early opportunities, influences and contexts that I have always wanted AKQA to be a company that moves beyond advertising, into new product development, content creation and experiences.

How did you finance your first business? I sold some shares I had in Apple.

What is your work ethic? I’ve always been a do-er, so I’m happiest when I’m trying to achieve something as you can immerse yourself when you’ve got a goal. When I was younger my parents would always encourage me to work hard. Now they want me to slow down! In terms of work ethic, I found out recently that my parent’s family and their parent’s family and all their families going back as far as we could, were all farmers. Which isn’t much of a surprise when you think that it was the dominant occupation for humans since the dawn of civilization! So, although I’ve never worked on a farm. I still think that the farmer’s mentality is ingrained in my soul, as there were times when I was still at school yet holding down three jobs, so I was always keeping myself busy.

Do you think there is enough support for young entrepreneurs in the UK? Not really, if there is, then not enough young people know about what’s available. In the USA companies like Google, YouTube, Facebook, Yahoo, Apple and Microsoft were all founded by young entrepreneurs. It’s pretty staggering that despite the globally recognised creativity, ideas and innovation levels in the UK, that there has not been the same level of success. So in the case of young entrepreneurs, the US makes the UK look amateur. In terms of philanthropy, the USA is also leading the way. People like Charles Feeney, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are pretty amazing with the way they have decided to use most of their wealth to do good for the world. The incredible wealth created by the USA coupled with its philanthropy is a powerful, inspirational combination. It’s important that the UK business community fosters youth enterprise so we can help the next generation of entrepreneurs as they are essential to our economy. A disadvantaged background shouldn’t be a barrier to business success. So the UK industry needs to do more to try and emulate or even surpass the success of young entrepreneurs in the USA.

What inspired you to start your own business? Most advertising is clichéd and predictable while good marketing is the exception rather than the rule. Given that most adverts do more to make people fall asleep than wake them up, it’s much easier for the consumer to ignore adverts than pay attention. We wanted to create a more intimate interaction through the work we do. We wanted to stir the market up and do new things all the time, rather than follow some formula that might have worked in a different era. We only want to work with good companies that build good products because you can’t create an emotional connection with a bad product. So the work we do is not about fooling people into wanting something they don’t. It’s more about creating a relationship that has its basis in honesty and authenticity. I’m interested in a lot of different areas. I enjoy different kinds of music, but I can’t play an instrument. I read a lot of books, but I’m not great at writing. I have always loved technology and communication and forming AKQA was a good way to bring those passions together. There are a lot of choices available and I made the decision a long time ago that AKQA is where I want to focus my time and energy.

Who are your mentors? I’m lucky that my parents are my mentors. My mum exists in this perpetual state of activity, while my dad has this Zen-like calm about him. They are Yin and Yang. My parents have always encouraged me to travel, meet people and learn. So they have had the biggest influence on me because their own story is whatever the circumstances, do your best, find opportunities, take a chance and learn. The most important lesson learned is not to let anything hold you back. Fittingly, Virgin was pretty much AKQA’s first client, but I didn’t meet Sir Richard Branson for almost a decade after. He is visionary, very energetic and optimistic about where things can go. He’s an incredible inspiration and a great role model. I have never met Steve Jobs but he strikes me as a phenomenal person. I also really admire Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson as football is the stage for one of the purest and most transparent forms of management and they both lead talented teams where they are being judged every week on their performance.

What is your current turnover? Internationally, it’s about $150m a year now. How did your background in advertising and working with big brands help you when you started your business? In our industry, we’re only ever as good as our latest work. Before we had that body of work,the key ingredient for AKQA’s success in the early days was that of self-belief. We absolutely believed in the internet, in the digital industry and in e-commerce. We absolutely believed that we had the right team to deliver good ideas for the companies we were dealing with. Has the credit crunch provided any new worries for your business? AKQA survived the dot.com crash and we were one of only a handful of agencies to make it through a turbulent time with our independence intact. We made the decision then to invest through any downturn and keep our team together, so that we could be ahead when it was over. That’s exactly what we did and it worked.

Talk me through the highs and lows of your business career so far? Ours is a very competitive industry so I think that time spent basking in the glow of success or recounting past triumphs is time wasted. I don’t really think about the setbacks as it’s also a waste of time to dwell on the past. It’s important to learn and move on, realising that if you put the effort in, if you take the long-term view and don’t give up easy, incredible things can happen. In our industry, you’ve got to worry about what’s next to stay ahead of the curve or you’re going to get your ass kicked! So everyday is pretty relentless, but in a good way.