AMG Blog

Ok, so this is week two - week two for me being gainfully employed as Project Manager for AMG Creative, Inc. as well as week two for ‘The View from the Bottom.’ As I am rushing like Eddie George in ’95 (shout out to my fellow Buckeyes!) to fit in this week’s post, I will refer you to week one for the explanation of this rant space.

For this week’s topic I turn to our talented, if not outspoken Creative Director, Blais Hunter.

TOPIC #1: ‘Let’s blame storm about this. Oh, and you’re always to blame’
Blais has personality, and he likes to share – there, I think I said it nicely.

During our weekly ‘File Maker’ meeting - where we scroll through each and every project listed in our aforementioned project management software and evaluate the status and next steps for each - my boss noted that the file for an ongoing website maintenance job was missing from the queue.

Quick Notes to Bring You Up to Speed before I Continue:
1. File Maker is the Devil in-software-carnate, notorious for its ease of screwing up your entire data management system – “touchy” is the verbiage my boss uses…
2. This job began and finished long before I started here, so the likelihood that I had anything to do with the problem ranges somewhere between zero and ‘a snowball’s chance in … (Gotta’ love British sketch comedy!) ‘
3. Blais is living proof that two, usually positive, character traits (willingness to share and rich personality) sometimes combine and manifest themselves in less-than-loving manners (somewhat understandable through the volcano experiment you performed in third grade).

At this point our , umm – witty? - Creative Director piped in with the quick and dirty solution to the problem that summarizes my position and the position of enterprising-entry-levelers-everywhere within our respective organizations: “Let’s blame storm about this. Oh, and you’re always to blame.”

Knowing my rank in the room and appreciating that I do enjoy receiving a paycheck, I bite my tongue regarding my knowledge that this incident could not and is not my fault and respond with “I will fix that.”

Oh what a view it is here from The Bottom. So, until next time, keep your head up, keep your tongue tied and keep your eye on the prize. And maybe one day you can be like Blais – everyone can dream!

Every business has them. If job title accurately depicted job description, he/she would be bestowed with titles such as: The Peon, Grunt Work Guru or Menial Task Marshal. Out of necessity to fill the position, desire to remain on the good side of political correctness or sheer pity, however, businesses around the country and globe label these paper-pushing, bottom-dwellers as Administrative Assistant, Attendant, or - as my nametag here at AMG Creative reads – Project Manager. No matter the title and no matter the location he/she is always subordinate to everything/everyone and as scripture so elegantly put it, I AM.

My name is Justin Williams and I AM the new Project Manager at the most desirable advertising agency in the most desirable place to live in the US (according to Money Magazine). As in most entry level positions, there is little room for my strategic vision in the office and for good reason. It is 5:00 PM on Friday of my first full week and this is the first time that I have been able to put a full thought together deeper than, “Where is that file?”

Although I accept my position at the “bottom of the ladder” and am even grateful that my to-do-list can only pile so high (decisions weighted with any responsibility never stop here!), I have a voice too. And I want to be heard! Thus, I bring you ‘The View from the Bottom,’ a weekly/whenever-my-to-do-list-allows rant about the menial tasks and headaches that we subordinates encounter on our journey up the corporate ladder – shhh, not too loudly though, my boss is in the next room.

This is your favorite creative agency at its finest. We’re too pathetic to excel at real sports, so we do this to feel good about ourselves. Don’t worry, we finished working on your ads, Web sites, image brochures, etc. before our Office Olympics.

Oh, quick word of clarification: AMG’s Office Olympics differ from Dunder Miflin’s Office Olympics in the fact that ours isn’t on TV. But it should be. Really.

As Americans, we hold dear the American Dream. Part of our dream is business ownership – the right and opportunity to own a business of our very own. The fancy term for that is “entrepreneurial spirit.” Small businesses have been part of the financial backbone of our country and are still very much needed.  

An example of a successful American small business is Lowe’s. Lowe’s Hardware store was founded in 1921 by L.S. Lowe in North Wilkesboro, a small foothills town in western North Carolina and a neighboring town from where I grew up. From this single store, Mr. Lowe was dedicated to serving his community and neighbors with the best prices possible on much needed, every-day items.  Through the daily hard work of the Lowe family and 20 years of small successes, Lowe’s went public in 1961 and grew to be the company they are today – the second largest home improvement store in the world. That’s the power of and the motivation for the American small businesses.

This classic example of success lived out the meaning of owning and operating a small business versus simply owning a small business.  Do you know the difference? I can own a sail boat but not know how to sail it. I can own a classic 5-speed Ferrari but not know how to drive it. I’m not sure about you, but I want to sail and drive; it’s part of my DNA. Successful small (or large) businesses are sailed/driven – not docked or garaged. They operate under the careful direction of a skilled operator who may or may not have any ownership. Let’s face it, owning and operating a small business is not for the weak. It takes an unbelievable amount of time, sweat, energy, passion, resources and even tears. 

Playing to Win the Game

As a marketing firm, business strategist and advertising agency, we love small businesses. If we are retained early, we can help set the dreams, visions and goals as well action-plans for your business. The single most important advice we can give any business is these few words:  “Out of sight, out of mind, out of business.” Employing an advertising agency to handle the bulk of your marketing and advertising needs can be vital to your success.

I’ve personally been a small business owner and operator. I recall the time when my business coach and mentor convinced me to delegate. I admit I was a bit scared. After all, I birthed the business – it was my idea, my vision, my passion, it was my baby – and how, oh how, could I trust someone, anyone, with my business? As I began to find trustworthy associates to fill key roles in my business, the business started to grow and become healthy. It was not easy, but it worked. When I partnered with a marketing firm and shared with them my dream, vision, difficulties and frustrations, I felt relieved and encouraged – finally I didn’t have to do it alone. It’s like being part of a baseball team: no one person can beat a team of nine. It requires a skilled player in each position with one collective focus: playing to win the game.

If your business does not concentrate on business growth through deliberate, skillful marketing and advertising, your business will not succeed. We find that serving as the marketing partner for small businesses can be fun, encouraging, exciting and even exasperating. Before you hire a marketing/advertising agency to be your partner, do your homework and research.  Speak with their past and current clients. Know intimately the desires and objectives you have for your business. Create a budget and hold those funds aside for this purpose only. If you stop your marketing and advertising efforts you can fall victim to “out of sight, out of mind, out of business.” Realize that your marketing and advertising partner knows and understands your target customer audience. They are marketing to them – their likes, their desires and their needs – not yours. You are not the customer or target; you are the business.  Trust your marketing/advertising partner. After all, you hired them. Be involved but not controlling. Embrace their ideas by knowing they understand who you are, who your customer is and where you want to go. Give your partner a defined budget and let them go to work. They succeed when they help you succeed.

You’re a small business owner/operator with the desire of serving and helping people. If all goes very well, your small business may become a big business with substantial rewards. Seek out a marketing/advertising partner and start a powerful, successful relationship.