What does Young & Shand do and what sort of clients do you have?
As a digital agency, we're an equal mix of strategy, creative and technology. We work with clients to solve their marketing problems and execute them in a way relevant to this new digital world.
We work with all sorts of clients, big, small, food, travel, services, building, fashion, utilities. They all recognise we're in a very different world; winning customers today is more about creating engaging content and smart systems rather than a 30-second TV ad.
Why do clients come to you rather than a big advertising agency that also does digital?
Because we started as a digital agency; it's in our DNA. When we get a brief, we solve it by thinking digital first rather than the digital component being at the end of the line after the all the money has been spent on a big, expensive TV production.
Your website describes you and your team of 65 as "misfits, creatives, designers, geeks and hackers". Where do you find them?
We are an eclectic mix because we have to be. For instance, a back-end developer is a very different beast to an art director. But they're both a part of our creative team. These differences create an environment where diversity is celebrated and creative conflicts lead to better work.
A lot of the team has come to us straight from university. We also love referrals from existing members of the team. I think we promote the roles we have quite hard across different digital and social media channels (where our sort of people live) as well as ensuring we keep people up to date with what we need next.
You often hire talent first then fit the job later - how does that work?
We'll identify talent and get them in even if they're not exactly right for the role we have. Once they're 'on the bus' we can figure out which seat is best for them. This makes things slightly harder at first but there's nothing harder than hiring average - you'll always regret that. We'd rather take talent and develop it.
Your business has grown rapidly since you and Ben Young started in 2009. What caused that growth?
I often put this down to luck; being in the right place at the right time. We really have just been swept along with the shift in the whole industry becoming digitally-led. In saying that, you still have to play your cards right and to a large extent that means hiring the right people, smart people, who love digital and add value for our clients. Don't discount the value of honest, hard work. I think clients really respond to the way we de-mystify rather than confuse the digital world.
Ben is growing the business in New York, one of the most competitive markets in the industry. How is he finding it?
We found it really tough at the beginning. New York is a big place but over time you grow your network, understand the market and find a niche. As a small Kiwi company, we're playing in a small segment of a very big market. We've slowly developed the product and the infrastructure and now have an early launch group of customers in place.
How important is social media to your business?
Social media's really important to all businesses. We use it on a number of levels - we use a closed Facebook as an informal communication channel to share what's happening around the business, as well as internal social tools to manage the work. We use these channels to share our work and thinking with clients or new prospects and, in a lot of cases, we create content and manage the social campaigns for our clients too. Remember, every business is different so just make sure you understand what platforms are relevant to you.
What did you study at the University of Auckland Business School and what was the most useful lesson you learned?
I did a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Accounting and Finance, Economics, Management and Marketing - spread over a number of years. The biggest lesson I learned was to focus on things you enjoy, work hard and engage in as many of the broader activities university offers. Employers look for exceptional candidates and just having a good degree isn't enough; you need to be able to demonstrate where you've done something different.
What advice would you give graduates wanting to start their own business, given the global and fast-moving nature of digital technology?
Look at what the great companies are doing. Understand what sets the standard in the sector you're looking at. As a nation, I believe we don't set the bar high enough. Today, more than ever, if we want to compete we need to understand we're working in a truly global world. On the other hand the barriers to entry are lower than they have ever been. So if you have a great idea, you can raise the funds, research the market, grow your customer base and sell online.