A Quick Refresher on Business Strategy
“How to Avoid Agency Growing Pains,” published in the June 17 online edition of Advertising Age, is surely one of the finest business articles I have come across recently. Sharon Napier, CEO of Partners & Napier, offers fresh, smart advice in simple English. While the article is directed at agency managers, there are good takeaways for clients as well. What business cannot benefit from focus, passion, culture and an eye to financial performance? But read it for yourself to experience how Napier frames these issues. I was particularly struck by her paragraph titled “Build the plane while flying it.” To me, this is a call to action for those of us who find ourselves with fewer resources than we believe we need to get the job done, or who wonder why our competition is able to capitalize on the same great ideas we had but failed to execute. It is a reminder that sometimes “ready, fire, aim” may work better after all.