Bulletproof Agency Network Podcast

www.bulletproofagencynetwork.com

@BulletproAgency

Bulletproof Agency proudly presents this podcast.

 This episode delves into the underdog status of a small agency’s ability to attract, win and deliver for a big high-profile contract and the struggles that come with it.

Topics Covered

True stories from two strong successful female agency owners

Jo and Kelly talk about how they won prestigious high profile contracts when in the formative years of building their agencies. How they managed to overcome small agency perceptions and upset the odds

Themes examined include:

What objections clients raise about size and ability to service a contract, and how do you overcome them?

Differences between large and small clients, and is it dangerous or good strategy to aim for those larger wins

How hard is it to turn clients away when they aren't suitable for you

Once the big contract is won how do you then begin to look at servicing them

Tips for small and agile agencies who are capable of delivering strong work, but are struggling to get over the line with that first big win

Guest BIO's

Jo Leah

Former MD of Weber Shandwick MCR and Chair of English Regions & Wales for too many years to mention.

Twitter

@JoLeah1

Bio

Communications specialist who led awesome, award winning teams at Weber Shandwick for over two decades. Famous for pulling in Aldi Supermarkets and then helping grow the account for Weber in the USA and Australia.

Previous founder and owner of Lawson Leah Communications which grew with no outside investment, to win accounts like Domino’s Pizza and was sold to Weber in ‘97

Ranked as one of the UK’s top 100 Most Influential PR people, Jo was previously MD of Paragon Communications and did a stint as journalist for the Guardian Media Group in the days of note pads not iPads.

Unwavering work ethic, straight talker, clear thinker and someone who lives her business life with integrity, guts and heart.

Currently launching the Little big agency, building big reputations little by little.

Kelly White

Managing Director of multi-award winning Manchester based search marketing agency, Red Cow Media.

Twitter

@KellyLou21

Bio

Kelly's career in digital marketing has seen her work both in the UK and USA for some of the largest companies in the world, with clients including Etsy, Twitter and eBay.

She left a position as Head of Search Marketing for US based internet performance giant Dyn in 2013, where she was the youngest manager in the company, to return to the UK and start up Red Cow Media. Red Cow continues to go from strength to strength, having picked up a range of significant key clients including Bupa, Boohoo and Boy London with no external investment, no salespeople, and within a mere 3 and half years of trading. Independent client feedback for Red Cow consistently cites honesty, integrity and credibility as the main attributes associated with the company, which are prime characteristics on which Kelly has always placed importance.

Links

www.redcowmedia.co.uk

Presenter BIO

A journalist and broadcaster for nearly 30 years, Andy runs his own media consultancy in Manchester working with clients like Weber Shandwick, the NFU, and the Institute of Directors.

Andy started in print before 17 years as a BBC presenter & reporter, appearing on BBC Breakfast, Five Live & the Today programme. For five years Andy presented the award-winning BBC1 current affairs programme Inside Out, travelling across

Europe making documentaries on terrorism, the smuggling of illegal guns into the UK and the Manchester IRA bomb. He also made films with Sir Bobby Charlton, Yoko Ono, Lord Heseltine and Johnny Marr.

Find out more about Andy’s media consultancy: www.andyjohnson.tv

Thank you for attending and hope you enjoyed the show. Please subscribe to our podcast for more industry discussions with more fantastic guests.

Next Episode

In the next episode we will be broadcasting mid-flow in an exciting Kickstarter campaign for Liverpool augmented reality specialist; Draw & Code.

Hear from the team, from owners to developers about their journey through the process in making and eventually crowdfunding the excellent "Swapbots"

You can visit the Kickstarter page now, and maybe even help them reach their target a little quicker through - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swapbots/swapbots-the-augmented-reality-toy-and-video-game?ref=3vtwap

http://bulletproofagencynetwork.com/

Twitter: @bulletproofagency

Overview

Bulletproof Agency Network are pleased to share with you our first proper podcast with guest, Al Mackin

In this episode we are taken on a journey will Al Mackin.

Guests

Our guest for this session is Al Mackin, CEO and Founder of Formisimo, Chairman and Founder of theEword, Chairman of Forever Manchester

Your Host

A journalist and broadcaster for nearly 30 years, Andy runs his own media consultancy in Manchester working with clients like Weber Shandwick, the NFU, and the Institute of Directors.

Andy started in print before 17 years as a BBC presenter & reporter, appearing on BBC Breakfast, Five Live & the Today programme. For five years Andy presented the award-winning BBC1 current affairs programme Inside Out, travelling across

Europe making documentaries on terrorism, the smuggling of illegal guns into the UK and the Manchester IRA bomb. He also made films with Sir Bobby Charlton, Yoko Ono, Lord Heseltine and Johnny Marr.

Find out more about Andy’s media consultancy: www.andyjohnson.tv

Content Covered

(1) Formation, growth and exit from leading Manchester agency The E Word

(2) The story of Formisimo, from identification of potential through to concept realisation. From tech side project to exciting business in its own right

(3) Emergence of Nudgr, pushing the boundaries provided by Formisimo with complimentary technology provision

(4) Challenges in letting go from a successful business you've nurtured to pursue new unknown paths

(5) The importance of a strong ethical culture within the businesses built, from the top down, and crucially picking the right type of individual to pass the torch onto.

(6) Getting the right people involved to advise you on your journey, and the value of experienced non-exec directors

(7) Lessons learned and mistakes made along the way, and how useful that is in future decision making

(8) Differences between running a tech start up versus establishing a digital agency?

(9) Thoughts on the best ways to obtain investment as a tech business

Episode Guest

Al Mackin is founder of analytics start-up Formisimo, a technology company focused on improving online forms and checkouts by measuring and reporting on user behaviour.

He is the chairman of the charity Forever Manchester, that has delivered over £36m of funding to grass-roots groups across Greater Manchester.

Finally he is the founder of theEword, a content-focused Digital Marketing agency that works with brands like Merlin, Atkins, MMU, Co-op bank and Jockey.

Formisimo: http://www.formisimo.com/

Thanks

We would like to give our thanks to Audio Always (www.audioalways.com) or giving us a beautiful base to record this, and again, the team at Art of Podcast (www.artofpodcast.com) for making us sound awesome

Thanks for listening

Bulletproof is produced every month for your enjoyment and we would encourage

you to subscribe, recommend us to your friends and rate us on iTunes.

Please join us again for more real life stories from those leading lights that are pushing the northern creative agency scene forward

Next Episode

Our next episode will be recorded on site at Prolific North Live, where we will cover a range of topics from validity of apps, dealing with brand theft through to tips to win large contracts when you are a small player

http://bulletproofagencynetwork.com/

Twitter: @BulletproAgency

Overview

Bulletproof Agency Network proudly presents our inaugural podcast.

This episode delves inside the Bulletproof Agency Network, helping you get an understanding of with who its for, what we aim to achieve and why.

Our guests for this session are the three founding members:

• Steve Kuncewicz, Partner at legal firm Slater & Gordon
• Paul Barnes, MD at My Accountancy Place
• Michael Henderson, Founder of commercial insurance broker, Risk Box

Your Host

A journalist and broadcaster for nearly 30 years, Andy runs his own media consultancy in Manchester working with clients like Weber Shandwick, the NFU, and the Institute of Directors.

Andy started in print before 17 years as a BBC presenter & reporter, appearing on BBC Breakfast, Five Live & the Today programme. For five years Andy presented the award-winning BBC1 current affairs programme Inside Out, travelling across

Europe making documentaries on terrorism, the smuggling of illegal guns into the UK and the Manchester IRA bomb. He also made films with Sir Bobby Charlton, Yoko Ono, Lord Heseltine and Johnny Marr.

Find out more about Andy’s media consultancy: www.andyjohnson.tv

Content Covered

The topics we have tackled within this episode include:

(1) Overview of the three founders, their businesses and why they are positioned to help the creative industries

(2) What exactly is the Bulletproof Agency Network and what will it offer those who engage with it?

(3) How did the Bulletproof Agency Network come to be?

(4) What passions drive the venture and what are they looking to achieve?

(5) Why Podcasts?

(6) What would constitute success?

Episode Guests

Steve Kuncewicz is a principal lawyer in the business advisory team at Slater and Gordon Lawyers in Manchester.

He specialises in intellectual property, media and social media law with a particular emphasis on the creative, digital and technology sector. Steve is listed as a "recommended lawyer" in tier 2 of the Legal 500s 2014, 2015, and 2016 North West Technology, Media & Telecoms section.

He is a regular spokesperson, and has given interviews to the local and national press through BBC Breakfast, Sky News, ITV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC London.

Steve's first book, "Legal Issues of Web 2.0 and Social Media", was published in June 2011 and his second book "Legal Issues of Corporate Communication in the Online World" was published in June 2012.

As well as being a member of the Law Society's Technology & Law Reference Group, Steve also sits on the boards of various membership bodies, including as Co-Chair Of Creative ProManchester and the MPA. He was also a Trustee of NOISE Festival and is an Ambassador for Forever Manchester.

For more information on Slater and Gordon: www.slatergordon.co.uk/

Paul Barnes is MD and founder of My Accountancy Place, the UK's leading provider of outsourced accounting and finance services to digital creative businesses. Paul and My Accountancy Place offer advice, tools and support on how to build a profitable and healthy agency. 

For more information on My Accountancy Place: https://myaccountancyplace.co.uk/

Michael Henderson is the founder of Risk Box, an independently owned insurance specialist, dedicated to helping and protecting people and businesses working within the creative sectors.

For more information on Risk Box: http://www.riskboxuk.com/

Thanks

We would like to give our thanks to Audio Always (www.audioalways.com) where we've recorded this episode, and Art of Podcast (www.artofpodcast.com) for production and editing.

If this is your first time listening, which for most people it will be, being episode zero, then thanks for listening.

Bulletproof is produced every month for your enjoyment and we would love you to subscribe, recommend us to your friends and rate us on iTunes.

We hope you will join us again for engaging tales from interesting agency folk, and useful insights into the wonderful creative world of the North of England

Next Episode

In the next episode, the first proper one of the Bulletproof Agency Network, we will be talking to serial entrepreneur Al Mackin. From his years establishing leading Manchester agency, The E Word, to launching dual tech start-ups, Formisimo and Nudgr