At ilk, we’re celebrating a pretty impressive anniversary this year… or painful, if you’re the kind of person who still feels like 1999 was just a few months ago. A quarter century in this agency game, growing a business that’s worked with some equally impressive clients along the way, and growing the careers of some even more impressive people.

So when I was asked by a journalist recently for a few things I’ve learnt in the past 2.5 decades, a few key themes emerged. So here they are!

Look after the little things.

I’ve had a lot of variety in my routine over the years, but there are a few things that make a big difference. I can’t do without the morning dog walk when I’m at home, or the first cuppa in the office after a 1.5 hour commute.

It can be easy to look at the world of LinkedIn and trade publications and think every MD or business leader is grinding away reading inspirational self improvement books and attending seminars on growth hacking.

That’s not my style. My book recommendation is Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, more escapism than personal development. It may sound surprising, but I’m actually not a big networker, and I don’t see myself as particularly confident or outgoing. Success, to me, is being married for 18 years with two seemingly well rounded kids, with the businesses running healthily alongside. The 1999 version of Nev would have seen that as a big win, I’m sure.

Keep things diverse.

Like any agency, there have been plenty of near misses over the years, and a few great big failures too. But over the decades I’ve learnt that diversifying and keeping those eggs in multiple baskets helps mitigate the risk.

Two years after we started the agency, a huge chunk of our work was for a recruitment advertising agency. They did the media buying, and we did all the creative and copy. We’re talking 90% of a business. 

Then we lost it. So we were forced to look more widely, and from that big scare came a healthier attitude to diversifying our client portfolio.

Invest in great people.

There have been a few key moments in ilk’s history where I’ve thought ‘that was a real crossroads’, and they’ve all been related to people. When great people join the business – and there have been many of them across 25 years – it reminds you why you do the job.

My own mentor is probably Julian Kynaston, now Chairman of Propaganda, who took a chance on me and backed my vision – so much so that it convinced me that stepping out on my own was the right choice! Ironically, his support made ilk happen.

I’d certainly tell my younger self not to worry about taking those kinds of risks. It took me a while to work up the courage to take the leap, and there are other things in my career – like setting up an overseas office and working in the US or Australia – that I definitely wish I’d tried at the time. I really hope I’ve inspired a few people to do things they’ve gone on to love.