We don't have aspirations to dominate the world or a plan to "cash out". Rather, we just want to build a place that we can all be proud of. A place to make a mark on the world by creating brands and businesses that make a positive difference for customers, employees, and – most importantly – the communities around us.
Our mission doesn't stop at great work. We believe agencies – and marketing as a whole – has it wrong. Marketing is still solely focused on communications, stunts, and making promises they know they can't keep just to make a buck.
We believe, as marketers, our job doesn't stop at talking. We must work more closely with our clients to help them genuinely become better businesses that put the needs of customer, employees, and the communities around us at the center. We're changing what it means to be a modern marketer.
Busnisses and agencies are still operating under decades-old practices. That's not us. Our ability to unlearn bad habits and invent new ways of working together is paramount to our culture and our success.
Yes, the work is important, but we have to remember that design for the sake of design or technology for the sake of technology isn't our goal. What does matter is how these efforts improve the lives of people. Our human-centered approach underpins everything we do.
Traditional agencies will always prioritize new business and growth. We get it, it's hard to run an agency...but that's a short-term approach. A focus on making sure that we can hire the best people around – and know that growth will follow – is core to our long-term approach for sustainable growth.
Remember that part about being talent-first ^^^^ ? We're dedicted to building an equitable environment that lets change-makers, visionaries, and craftspeople do their best work and live their best lives.
We believe that everyone has an inherent right to choose the jobs and vendors that are best suited to support their lives (it is your life after all)...who are we to get in the way of that? So poach our people, take our clients...if they're willing to leave then we weren't being our best and we need to do better. We don't ask our employees, partners, or clients to sign non-compete agreements (and neither should anyone else).
We operate under a unique model that brings success and ownership closer to the teams that earn it. Internally we call them franchises, externally we call them teams. The fundamental principle is that smaller businesses inside a larger business can foster growth and ownership that traditional siloed-teams and deep leadership structures can't.
We openly embrace what's normally shunned at other organizations. We want everyone working here to genuinely live their best lives – if we're not the best place for that, that's on us. Our Open-Poaching policy means that if you find another job with a client or want to leave with someone else, then we'll be supportive in your next adventure.
Listen, at the end of the day, we're an agency. Our ability to be successful is solely dictated by our ability to hire the best talent around. Period. It still amazes us that so many agencies prioritize aggressive, unsustainable growth and executive bonuses at the expense of employee satisfaction and ownership. That's just not us. Now, that doesn't mean it doesn't get difficult at times (we are entreprenuers after all), but we promise we'll never lose sight of what matters most.
It's common to work at an agency for a few years and move on. Most businesses fight that, we encourage it. We appreciate that anyone would commit years of their only career to help us be more successful so we try to make sure you learn, grow, and thrive in the best way possible...and when it's time to leave, it's hugs, high fives, and best wishes.