Authority Builder Podcast | Client-Winning Strategies for Coaches, Consultants, and Creatives Who Want to Lead With Authority.

Today I'm delighted to be joined by Tom Hardy, founder and creative director at Manifesto Studios. 9 years young , Manifesto is a self-described Brand & Communications Accelerator. They're a consultancy and design studio specialising in collaborating with challenger brands.

Their clients include Samsung, Red Bull, Vashi Jewellery, Savse (Where a previous Kaffeen Espresso podcast guest, Natasha Lytton, was marketing lead), Myla lingerie and Padella, one of London's hottest restaurants (which my husband looks longingly at every-time we're near the Shard).

Prior to Manifesto, Tom accumulated his years of experience at prestigious brand design agencies like Interbrand, Fitch, Rufus Leonard, Lambie Nairn, and more.

Having worked with Tom when I was the client, I can safely say that he's one of the nicest and most chilled (and yet ambitious) people I've come across in design.

I'm pleased to say that Manifesto Studios thrived in 2020. In fact it has adapted so well on the remote set up, that Tom has recently taken it to a new level, having moved to Mexico whilst continuing to lead his agency. I'm confident you'll come away from this episode inspired about how to make current circumstances fuel your passion for growth, rather than diminish it.

So listen in  to hear answers to questions like:

• How did Manifesto grow in 2020?
• What client traits do you feel were most appreciated by the team during this trying time?
• And what traits do you feel the Manifesto Studios team boast that helped you to power through?
• Do you feel like moving to Mexico would have happened if 2020 had been a different story?
• How have your goals and ambitions for the agency changed, after the rollercoaster of 2020?

Show notes:

>> Get the free 5-day mini course: https://kaffeen.club/get-started

>> Get the Complete Kaffeen Toolkit: 

>>  Find our more about Manifesto Studios: https://www.manifesto-studios.com/ 

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

By this stage, you’ll have seen a hundred or more tips of working, hiring and office partying from home. I know I’ve seen more than my fair share of these articles, encouraging me to spend a ton on stuff I won’t use in the long term.

A perfect work set up doesn’t have to cost the earth. Not sure when I’m going to return to a physical office, I refused to spend a fortune on new kit. Here’s how, these are the exact items that I use and love at Kaffeen HQ.

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

There’s nothing more disheartening for you or annoying for the prospect, than an ill-timed or irrelevant new business approach.

Unless you have something of value to share, the only other time you should reach out to a prospect (to avoid being annoying) is when you have a clear signal that they might be preparing to buy your services.

But how on earth to know when is the right time? Here are a few of my go tos.

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

Today I'm delighted to be joined by Paddy Willis, CEO and co-founder of Mission Ventures, the UK’s leading independent operator of food & drink accelerator programmes.

 Mission Ventures has a board that comprises over 80 years of industry experience along with combined exit values of over £50m for challenger brands they have independently co-founded, including New Covent Garden Soup Company, Little Dish and Ape Snacks.

 I can't think of someone who can better share insights into the needs and mindset of the scaling challenger brand. I'm confident you'll come away from this episode better equipped to work with your early-stage client partners. 

So listen in  to hear answers to questions like:

• At what point do brands come to you for help?
• What’s the most common piece of advice you give to food and drink brands?
• What common mistakes do you see early-stage F&B brands make when it comes to design?
• Do Mission Ventures advise on which design firms are the best fit for their brands?
• At what stage do you think agency and brand should seek each other out/ be most beneficial to one another?

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

As someone who used to be marketing director at a well funded tech start up, I know the battles involved in getting the brand as visually relevant and polished as the product. 

I also know many of my brand agency coaching clients dream of working with the next tech ‘unicorn’, but don’t know how to get an in.

Which is why I was thrilled to speak with Natasha Lytton, Head of Brand, Marketing and more at Seedcamp, Europe’s most prominent seed fund. 

Seedcamp has supplied the initial capital to over 360 startups, including 4 European ‘unicorns': Hopin, TransferWise, Revolut and UiPath. So if someone knows how to work with a tech company, it’s Natasha. 

Listen in to this podcast for answers to questions like:

• Why do you think brand design is so often overlooked as a powerful asset by tech start ups?
• To what extent do seed stage brands have budget for brand design?
• What do you see as the best time and way to approach start ups in your space?
• Given limited time and resources, should a startup prioritise product development or brand development?

Show notes:

>> Grab the book Natasha is featured in, you can grab it here to support a good cause: 

https://wordery.com/excerpts-from-experts-marketing-fortune-hill-media-9781913532024?cTrk=MTgwOTAyNzYzfDVmYzY2YThhYzZmZTE6MToxOjVmYzY2YTdmODY0MTA5LjU2MDQzODQ1OmE1YmNkZTZj

>> Get the free 5-day mini course: https://kaffeen.club/get-started

>> Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE, by Phil Knight https://amzn.to/2VnojuT

>>Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh of Zappos https://amzn.to/3ockDZh

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

Mark St Andrew is an Event programmer and Creative PR and communications leader with more than 20 years experience. I met Mark when he was Head of Communications and Associate Editor at a little event called the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where he was responsible for the creation and development of the editorial output for the Cannes Lions brand (the largest and best known festival of creativity and media in the world) and it's associated projects. 

Mark is currently curating programming for www.tortoisemedia.com, the slower, wiser news platform. He is also founder of https://www.brandculturetherapy.com/. 

Frankly, Mark is one of the smartest, most diplomatic and genuine people I had the pleasure to work with during my time in agency, and I can’t think of anyone better to ask about how to pitch better to events organisers and journalists. Listen in if you want to know more about how to get your agency in front of clients at events

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

Currently looking after portfolio at Organix Brands, Anna has worked across household names including Twinings, Ovaltine, Billington’s sugar, Allinson flour, Silver Spoon, Barclays, Badger Ales and Rio soft drinks. 

I met Anna when she was the Brand Marketing Manager at Badger, and she was a client of the agency I was working with at the time. Famously everyone’s favourite client to work within the studio, Anna has a wonderful way of offering feedback that I thought would be invaluable when it comes to an honest chat about how to approach clients. 

Listen in for 25 minutes of insights into what clients want to hear, when to approach them, how not to introduce your agency, and how Anna looks for her partner agencies these days. So without further ado, over to Anna.

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

Maybe you read the 4 Hour Work Week and thought the concept of working less and earning more was a mythical paradise that wasn’t applicable to you. But I’ve experienced otherwise: I worked with Nathan when he was still at FreeUp to build my remote team, that allowed me to scale up my business whilst having a family. 

Nate is an outsourcing and process expert. Via his company OutsourceSchool.com, he helps 6-7 figure online business owners get their time back and grow with virtual assistants and processes. In short, he's on a mission to help busy online entrepreneurs get more done while working less. 

In this episode, Nate shares his knowledge to help hard working business owners like you with proven systems and playbooks to hire reliable rockstar virtual assistants and create great processes.

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

Could snail mail be the missing link in your marketing strategy? I’m joined by Lee Callender, Owner at Scribble Mail, to find out more about snail mail, and how it can deliver impressive ROI when used as part of an agency new business campaign. 

Expect best practices, insights and ideas into how you can use direct mail to catch the eye of your prospective clients. You can reach Lee at [email protected] and find out more about Scribble Mail at scribblemail.co.uk

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call

One of the things I find most frustrating about working with smaller sized design agencies is that they can't stand still long enough to shout about their work when it launches. One of the most significant barriers that most mention is that they can't get photography done in time and to the standard they want. Due to cost, mainly. 

In this episode of the Kaffeen Espresso podcast, I talk with Rebecca Douglas. Rebecca is the most efficient and adaptable photographer I've come across. She works wonders capturing beautiful imagery for brands, that allows them to shut up and let the product do the talking. I think good photography is one of the best tools to make your agency come across as authoritative and confident, regardless of your size and location. 

I regularly tell clients that their case studies should be as simple as client objective, commercial results, client quote, and accompanied by spectacular imagery that shows the design off, without needing a wordy rationale next to it. So trust me, you're going to want to listen in to learn how to harness the power of images for your agency, and perhaps even hook up with Rebecca on one of her Subscription Club or Brand Shoot Day products, as I have. 

This episode is 30 mins, so grab your cup of coffee, delete those junk emails and treat your ears here. Ps. I've just recorded a conversation about a little used, but highly successful, method of cold outreach, so hit subscribe in Spotify to make sure you don't miss the next episode.

Entering the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards? I’ve written DEA entries for 16 years, with a 95%+ win rate.

Not sure your project is a contender? Tell me about it and get a free verdict

Got a serious contender, or re-entering? Book a call