As businesses have struggled to adapt to the changes inflicted on them by the internet, digital agencies have sprung up around the world to help them.
Most will struggle to grow due to the challenges faced in adapting their capabilities and teams to meet a constantly changing industry, but a few of us have managed to scale our businesses.
As I come up on 12 years at Huge, I thought I’d look back and reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned in overseeing the agency’s growth from a startup to a business with 13 offices across four continents.
Keep challenging yourself (and others)
The reason I’ve stayed at Huge this long is because there have always been opportunities available to me. I’ve never felt the need to move on. In an industry short on talent, it’s important to provide new challenges for staff. Being empowered can be an incredible motivator. Often people will rise to the occasion, take ownership and accountability, and exceed your expectations. But it’s also taught me that not everyone wants to grow at a fast speed, because it can be daunting, but that’s okay.
You must help people find their strengths and the speed at which they want to grow. That might mean helping them shape their role, complementing them with the right partner, or just giving them time to develop and grow into their role.
Maintain the agency’s DNA, but make room for new voices
When we opened a London office in 2012, a number of our New York employees relocated to take up a new challenge. For us it’s key to launch new offices with people who understand and can replicate the culture of the agency.
But we also had to balance that with people who understood London’s digital market and cultural nuances. Doing this maintains the original DNA of the business while creating a unique perspective in a new market. This dual strategy works for us, ensuring that Huge is still Huge, no matter the state, country or continent.
Put business needs ahead of financial gains
Our business is about creating a place for talented people to do the best work of their career, so we have always invested ahead of the curve when it comes to people. When I meet someone I know is talented, I do everything possible to bring them into the company.
We opened Huge’s office in Brazil without an anchor client. We believed in the managing director and knew there was a burgeoning design community there.
A similar thing happened in Portland, Oregon where we hired a creative team with a great portfolio to build our studio there. It serves as an innovation lab to the rest of the company. Investing in the right people, at the right time and in the right place made both scenarios viable business decisions.
Create a global workforce
We live and work in an increasingly connected world, so it’s no surprise that clients expect agencies to provide them with global teams. Different time zones, offices and markets are becoming less of a barrier as teams collaborate to
meet client needs.
We have a large client in Singapore whose agency team is also spread across London and the US. It’s about enabling staff with the right tools and skills to work on any client, irrespective of location. We use Google Apps for Business for collaboration and Smartsheet for project tracking. Like most companies we use Google Hangouts and Skype to connect with each other.
In several client situations recently, we’ve got an office up and running in a new location in just two to three months.
Remain agile and embrace growth
One of the most common challenges that growing agencies face is having to deal with more processes and bureaucracy. For me it’s about stamping it out whenever I see it sneak in to our day-to-day business.
I try to empower people: if they don’t agree with the rules, they should challenge them. If they see a problem, they should take on the responsibility to fix it. Of course, this is easier said than done, but fostering an open, meritocratic environment encourages this.
Helping Huge manage its growth is a big part of my role and something that continually challenges me. I was chatting recently with a long-time colleague who started as a junior interaction designer. He’s now one of our most senior creative leaders. He articulated it well: “Growth is our culture. For me, it’s given me the opportunity to run my own projects, manage my own team and now lead an office.”
Shirley Au is president and chief operating officer of Huge
To get weekly news analysis, job alerts and event notifications direct to your inbox, sign up free for Media & Tech Network membership.
All Guardian Media & Tech Network content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled “Paid for by” – find out more here.
