Happy Teams

Building a 15-Year Agency: How 7DOTS' Culture Grew From Two Founders to a Team of Fifteen on Happy Teams

On this week's agency management podcast: Ed shares how 7DOTS' workplace culture evolved from its two-person founding team to the thriving digital agency it is today.
When Ed co-founded digital agency 7DOTS, their team culture strategy was straightforward: "Day one, we started the business. There were two of us. We were the company culture. And as we grew, as we brought more people on board, it's very much a top down approach to it."
The organisational culture shift came as the team development expanded: "When we got to 15 people, it's almost like the culture started to take on its own personality. The first time you find out that you've got WhatsApp groups that you're not part of... I certainly didn't take offense and I just thought, that's great. Because people are organising their own things."
This employee engagement success stems from Ed's focus on talent development: "Really understanding what people's strengths are really trying to bring those out. Not getting people to shy away from trying to develop the toolkits to, maybe where they have got weaknesses, but really empower people."
The employee retention rates prove their strong company culture: "We're 15 years in the making. At the start of October, we had three people pass the 10 year mark. There aren't many people I think in this day and age, particularly who hang around for 10 years."
Hear Ed's full story on building lasting agency culture on the Happy Teams podcast.

We Lost £250,000 on One Senior Hire - Here's What We Learned About Growing an Agency on Happy Teams

When Sam and Alana founded digital agency Thought Quarter in 2014, they started with "one major client that paid most of our bills, paid on time, and we had a small team of freelancers." By 2017, they knew this business model wasn't sustainable and decided to grow, but lacking agency management experience, they looked to bring in established talent.
 
"We thought what we really needed was a big shot from a big agency to come in and take care of us," Sam explains. "So we went to market, we found a couple of candidates, but there was this one candidate who was relocating from a really large, well known London agency." The senior hire turned disastrous, ultimately costing them over £250,000 in salary, lost business opportunities and projects.
 
The agency growth experience taught them that "there's no substitute for a founder's leadership and clear vision," Sam reflects. "The mistake we made was to try and bring somebody in to do it for us. If you're going to grow a business, you need to do it. You need to drive it." This mindset shift extended to how they view success and failure, Sam references SpaceX celebrating a rocket not exploding as an example of how failure can be an essential part of the improvement process.
 
This business transformation came just as Covid hit in 2021, when their agency revenue dropped below their first month as a company. Rather than give up, they used it as an opportunity to rebuild: "What we had in front of us was a perfect opportunity to just reevaluate what we were doing, why we were doing it and how we were doing it."
 
Today, Thought Quarter has refined its business model to focus on the energy transition sector, working on decarbonisation and renewable energy projects. As Sam puts it: "We're constantly refining the services that we offer so that we're doing higher value services that solve more complex problems for a smaller number of clients. And that's what really excites me about the direction that we're going in at the moment."
 
Listen to more agency leadership insights on the Happy Teams Podcast.
 

From 400 Video Calls to Sold-Out Lunches: A Different Way to Grow an Agency on Happy Teams

During the pandemic lockdown, agency owner and digital marketing expert Nathan Lomax faced the challenge of virtual networking, conducting an overwhelming number of video calls. "At one stage, I was having 400 conversations a month. I had a super militant process of 20 calls a day, 30 minutes of time, 10 hours back to back," he recalls.
 
His business networking solution was simple: "The idea was to create a lunch, but in London that would allow us to have 40, 50 meaningful conversations, albeit in a two hour slot over lunch." This initial success led his agency Quickfire to pioneer in-person marketing events, scaling to host 45 professional networking events.
 
"The cost of running that amount of events comes to about £250,000 a year," Nathan shares. "So we said, okay, we will work with the ecosystem of partners, to sponsor. And so we will go to the tech partners. We'll organise it. We'll book it. We'll sort it."
 
The event marketing investment delivered solid ROI for the digital agency. "I've got 102 active deals in the last 80 days. We're booked on projects until probably October within reason. And realistically retainers have hit their yearly target at the end of March." But Nathan states that immediate sales aren't the expectation, instead, it's about building long-term business relationships.
 
Want to learn more about agency growth strategies and event marketing success? Listen to the full episode on the Happy Teams Podcast, your guide to digital agency leadership and business development.
 

Building a 10-Year Employee Retention Strategy: Inside Lane Media's Award-Winning Agency Culture| Happy Teams Podcast

Listen to this episode of Happy Teams to discover how Edinburgh-based Lane Media achieves exceptional employee retention and workplace satisfaction that exceed industry standards. 
 
In this episode, Managing Director Barry shares the agency's strategies for maintaining 10+ year employee tenures, including radical transparency in business operations, flexible work arrangements, and innovative team-building approaches.
 
Learn how this Best Workplace Award-winning agency implements practical initiatives like their "80/20 leadership model," where 20% of time is dedicated to peer learning with other agency owners. Barry reveals their unique approach to performance management, using tools like Clockify for balanced client profitability while avoiding micromanagement.
 
The conversation explores Lane Media's recent B Corp certification journey, their integrated agency model, and how they've revolutionised their workplace policies around maternity, bereavement, and well-being. Discover practical insights about hybrid work culture, office design for collaboration, and building authentic team relationships in a marketing agency environment.
 
Perfect for agency owners, HR professionals, and business leaders interested in employee retention, agency management, workplace culture, and sustainable business practices in the creative industry. Join us for actionable insights on creating a workplace where talent thrives for decades.
 

From One School to 1,000 Attendees: The Growth Story of a Digital Marketing Student Conference on the Happy Teams Podcast

On Happy Teams this week, Becky shares how Reflect Digital's career development conference is transforming local students into digital marketing agency talent.
 
"It's aimed at sixth form students currently, helping them to understand about the amazing digital careers that exist out there," says Becky. "All the things that are hidden behind this...that maybe as a 16, 17, 18 year old, you don't really know."
 
Starting six years ago, the digital skills conference has grown significantly. "Last year we had about 500 students and about 20 of the team were there on the day in some way or another, whether that was on stage talking, whether that was helping make sure that we've got the right people in the right rooms, helping set up," Becky explains.
 
The digital career initiative has even led to direct agency recruitment. "Sophie was there at the very first Aspiration Digital. She came to do some work experience. We then ended up hiring her and then the rest is history," says Becky. "She was with us, she left, she went to work with Ted Baker and then went onto a property business. And then she came back, because she missed us and loved agency side."
 
Listen to the full Happy Teams podcast episode to hear more about building digital agency culture and creating digital marketing career opportunities for young people.

Building High-Performing Teams: Tangent CEO Shares His Playbook

In the latest episode of Happy Teams, Leigh Gammons, CEO of digital product agency Tangent, shares what it takes to build a thriving, engaged remote-first team. With over 15 years of experience leading global businesses for top clients like HSBC, Ford, and Coca-Cola, Leigh brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
 
"There's two components of trust," Leigh explains. "There is how competent somebody is and also what their character is. They're only half each. So if you had a glass, then you can only get half of the amount of trust if you've got an amazing character and only half if you've got good competence."
 
Leigh shares four key pillars of his approach to building happy, high-performing remote teams:
 
📣 Communication - Leigh explains the critical role of transparent communication in engaging employees. 
🧘‍♀️ Wellbeing - Recognising the link between employee wellbeing and performance, Tangent provides comprehensive mental health and medical benefits from day one. 
🌍 Facetime - As a remote-first company, Tangent prioritises making infrequent in-person interactions highly productive and engaging. 
🌱 Democratised Decision-Making - Drawing on his experience growing agencies, Leigh cautions against the pitfall of centralising too many decisions. 
 
Whether you're dealing with the intricacies of remote work or looking to maximise your team's potential, this podcast is a must-listen.
 
🎧 Tune in now to hear more of Leigh's strategies for building a culture of trust, alignment, and engagement that drives real results.

Achieving an agency exit with remote teams

As TRGT grew, the benefits of a remote model became clear – access to top talent, cost efficiency, and the ability to serve clients internationally. However, the founders soon realised the importance of intentionally shaping company culture.
 
"It was out of convenience," Patrick explains, "We just thought we'd give it a go and see what happened." In this episode of Happy Teams, Patrick Nancarrow, co-founder of digital marketing agency TRGT, shares his journey of building a successful remote-first agency from the ground up.
 
TRGT's multinational team has been a key competitive advantage, enabling them to serve clients expanding into European markets better than solely UK-based agencies.
 
When acquired by Sideshow Group in 2021, TRGT's people-first culture and international reach were major draws. For many employees, the remote lifestyle is a game-changer, fueling their commitment to the agency's success.
 
🌟 Key Takeaways:
Intentionally shape company culture, especially as your remote team grows.
Over-communicate and use multiple channels to keep everyone aligned.
Leverage the diversity of a multinational team to serve clients better.
Foster a remote work environment that benefits both employees and the company.
 
Tune in to learn how TRGT has harnessed the power of remote work to build a thriving team that delivers exceptional results for clients across the globe.

How Space and Time outpaced the agency market by repositioning

"The inspiration for doing it was multifaceted. We're working in an industry that, if you stand still, the tendency is you can become, increasingly, irrelevant." In the latest episode of Happy Teams, Chris Jones, CEO of Space & Time, shares his agency's journey during the pandemic.
 
Recognising the need to adapt to the changing digital landscape and client needs, Space & Time embarked on a repositioning to become a growth marketing agency. They focused on developing new capabilities in technology, training, and performance creative to provide holistic, value-driven solutions for their clients.
 
Key takeaways from Space & Time's journey:
 
Embrace change and innovation to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry.
Develop authentic solutions that align with your agency's strengths and expertise.
Engage external experts to help set the "North Star" and gain perspective during the transformation process.
Prioritise the "why" behind the change and get your team on board early to drive motivation and success.
 
Chris emphasises the importance of having genuine commercial partnerships with clients, focusing on solving their long-term challenges and driving growth. To support this mindset shift, Space & Time brought in Sam Conniff from Uncertainty Experts to help their team embrace change and develop a solutions-oriented approach.
 
The agency also established three core values: find solutions always, help others, and make a difference. These values have been instrumental in fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and client-centricity.
 
While the transformation journey had its challenges, Space & Time's growth and success speak for themselves. The agency has outperformed industry benchmarks, with low staff attrition, long-term client relationships, and a 10% growth rate (adjusted for inflation) in the past 12 months.
 
For agencies considering a similar repositioning, Chris advises staying authentic to your strengths, seeking external expertise, and prioritising the "why" to get your team motivated and invested in the change.
 
Tune in to learn how Space & Time successfully navigated the challenges of the pandemic and emerged as a thriving growth marketing agency, poised for continued success in an ever-changing digital landscape.

How Liberty outgrew the industry by creating specialist agency brands

"The inspiration for doing this was not having a USP and not standing out as an agency anymore." Gareth Hoyle, founder of Liberty Marketing, shares his agency's journey into specialisation in this episode of the Happy Teams podcast.
 
By launching Foundation for the beauty industry and Balance for financial services, Liberty discovered the power of having a clear USP in a crowded market. Specialisation had an immediate impact, attracting senior marketers from leading brands and a flood of new business.
 
Gareth discusses the importance of having a passionate, credible leader with deep industry knowledge at the helm. Specialisation has also boosted team satisfaction and performance, with Liberty scoring above industry benchmarks on metrics like team relationships and learning opportunities.
 
Tune in to learn how specialisation transformed Liberty Marketing and discover valuable insights for your own agency's growth strategy.
 
Key takeaways:
Specialisation helps agencies stand out and attract top clients and talent.
Authentic sector expertise and a passionate leader are crucial for success.
Specialising can boost team happiness and performance by fostering learning and pride.
Careful consideration is essential before specialising, as it requires significant time and focus.

Digital Agency M&A: How hedgehog lab completed a successful agency merger

Paul, Head of Operations and Delivery at Hedgehog Lab, reveald the key ingredients to sustaining a high performing team culture following their merger with Netsells. 
"Giving people a platform to work on good quality projects where they're understanding who the client is and what the background is and helping them see those things through to fruition gives them self-satisfaction," Paul explains, highlighting the importance of humanising the client-agency relationship.
Paul dives into four critical aspects of Hedgehog Lab's approach to building happy, collaborative teams post merger:
🤝 Cultural Fit - Ensuring new hires align with the company's values and work well with existing teams is essential for maintaining a cohesive culture, especially during a merger.
📣 Assumptions are Dangerous - Clear communication and well-defined processes are crucial to avoid misunderstandings and keep everyone on the same page, particularly when integrating teams with different ways of working.
🌍 Fostering Collaboration - Regular meetups, inclusive social events, and daily stand-ups help remote team members feel connected and engaged, even across time zones.
🔄 Feedback Loops - Multiple channels for sharing concerns and ideas, from one-on-ones with line managers to mental health support and anonymous surveys, ensure everyone's voice is heard.
Paul also shares his biggest post-merger learning: investing in a Professional Services Automation (PSA) tool from day one. 
"Had we set ourselves on the front foot with that, maybe gone with a solution early doors, then that would've enforced a lot of the process that is required," he reflects.
🎧 Tune in to discover how Hedgehog Lab is leveraging seniority, collaboration, and a return to the office to drive the next phase of growth, and learn from Paul's experience uniting teams and processes post-acquisition.