For the better part of the last 20-years, I’ve worked and led divisions of really only 2 companies: Accenture Interactive’s Wirestone and over the last almost decade, a local micro-network and then the largest region of the global ad agency, Havas.
Because I’m a masochist and a speed freak, the service-side of marketing and advertising had always attracted me. And more specifically, I loved the blend of creativity, entrepreneurship and the ability to move across different brands and industries in the course of a day. Over the 20-years, I’ve had the good fortune to work in almost every brand category on some of the best brands in the world.
My career has taken me from small start-ups to mid-size scale-ups to global publicly traded companies, all with the common thread of allowing some level of innovation, investment, acquisitions and scaling growth. That part of the business is always what’s accelerated my adrenalin: creating strategic roadmaps, skating to where the puck will be, developing the asset strategy to fill the gaps and then growing. In addition, building the teams to scale that growth in divisions and regions that share that level of vision, heart and masochism to see the dream and pursue it relentlessly. This is especially true in an industry that’s slow to change like advertising or more current for me, the sport of hockey. Generally, the people know aspects need to change but change is hard and subject to underground resistance pushing back on the rituals, traditions and the way things are always done. Finding a pirate ship to make that change is what excites me.
As I was preparing to leave my family at Havas over the Summer, I carefully considered my pivot - I sought to find a tribe I could work with that shared the vision to change categories, had the capital and vision to drive change and also where I could bring my creativity, leadership and penchant for innovation to the table. And through relationships, I found a group of private equity and venture people with a vision assembling quickly to launch, start-up and scale-up a portfolio of brands and businesses. To me, the people I work with has always been the foundational core of whether or not I am fulfilled. I know what it feels like to work with people that you love, care about, trust and can no-look pass with AND I know what it’s like to work with people that you don’t. Every time, no matter the money or opportunity, I choose the former.
The ride over the last 5-months has been exhilarating and I can honestly say that private equity start-up land is what they say it is: relentless, a roller coaster, intellectually stimulating and hopefully with a big pot of gold at the end. Mind you, we are also launching these PE-backed businesses in the pandemic because 2020 opened up as much opportunity as its taken away. We have 3-5 Zoom’s plus countless phone calls and tasks a day and I have only met my team once in person over the last 5-months because I decided to drive to NYC from Chicago so that we could sit and get to know each other in person. I keep saying that when we write the book of this journey, the pandemic will be no small character in the story.
Pivoting is scary, especially when you’ve been in the same industry for most of your career but the opportunity to transfer your skills, passions and experience to other industries, categories or changing the angle on where you sit in the ecosystem is possible with some careful planning and relationships. I know many of my friends and followers are feeling the same way about their careers and how the pandemic may have opened an opportunity for them, I implore you to step off the curb and believe in yourself.