Dreaming of starting your own agency, publication or design firm? Here's three tips from Willow and Blake's Bree Johnson.
From its beginning as a blog between three friends – Jess Hatzis, Erika Geraerts and Bree Johnson – Willow and Blake has grown into a seriously successful business. It specialises in crafting brand personality through the use of clever copywriting.
Much of the women’s success is a result of natural talent. Remember when jelly sandals made a comeback? That was one of their first jobs. You may have also heard of Frank Body coffee scrub, another one of their side projects that took on its own life.
But Willow and Blake is also writ from long hours, smart decisions and plain-old hard work. We spoke with co-founder Bree Johnson, to get her tips for starting your own agency.
1. Don’t wait:
“A lot of people always talk about wanting to do their own thing but then they get scared and they don’t do it. They just put it off and put it off. There’s never a good time, you’ve just got to bite the bullet and do it.”
2. Be patient
“You can’t expect to just start an agency and then just suddenly have a lot of work. The first year for us was really hard. We had to eat a lot of rice and tuna, and just be really patient. Keep on doing what you’re doing and don’t give up because it’ll happen, it might just take a while.”
3. Under promise and over deliver
“We always try to give our clients a little bit extra, go above and beyond. We don’t like to talk ourselves up too much; we’re really proud of what we do and we think we’re good at what we do, but we try to keep a bit humble and make sure our work speaks for itself. If you’re not happy with the work, don’t present it to the client. Give yourself that time to refine.”
