Happy 4 Year Anniversary Emotive Brand

Anniversaries are a great time for reflection. As Emotive Brand celebrates its fourth birthday today, I feel compelled to share some of the lessons learned and observations I’ve made a long the way. I hope it inspires.

If you are going to start a business and have a partner, choose wisely. Ultimately, choose someone who really understands and shares your vision, has complimentary skills to what you can do well, and a person you can laugh with. It’s not easy starting a company, but you will make it easier by partnering with someone you deeply respect.

Quickly articulate why your business matters. It’s easy to explain what you do, but much more important to share why you do what you do. This is what will resonate with the people who will hire you and people that want to work for you. Live and breathe this with vigor. Be consistent. Don’t waver.

Say no to the wrong business. This is much harder than you would imagine, but following this advice will never fail you.

It’s important to be authentic. You are what you are. In the early days, it was hard to admit we were small, scrappy, and just starting out.

It’s better to under promise and over deliver. Delighting your clients is part of the magic of doing business as an agency. Delivering something unexpected is always appreciated.

When people show you who they are, believe them!

You are only as good as your team. Do whatever you can to surround yourself with people who you know are smarter than you, more talented than you, and who give you sweaty palms. This will make you better.

SEO is no joke. It works. Invest in it.

Don’t be afraid to tell people what you think. Especially the ones who have a capital C in front of two more letters. They need to hear honest feedback, comments, and opinions. I think they don’t hear enough of it. They value it and will respect you for it.

Treat your clients well. Treat your employees better.

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Make mistakes. Just make sure you learn from them.

Set goals. Measure your progress. Evaluate what is working and not working and change what needs changing.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Be nice.

Have fun.

Do what you love.

Do it with people you respect.

As our agency celebrates Emotive Brand’s fourth anniversary today, I can only look to my business partner and best friend and say there is nobody I’d rather be doing this with! To our team, you guys rock. To our partners thank you. To our clients, keep coming back.

Happy Anniversary Emotive Brand!