Build a Better Agency – No Bricks or Mortar Required

In October, as Tyto celebrated its first birthday, I was invited to speak to Agency Management Institute CEO, Drew McLellan, on his Build a Better Agency podcast. Drew is an expert in assisting agencies of all shapes and sizes to evolve and grow, and so this was a great opportunity to have an in-depth and diverse discussion around the Tyto approach to building not just a new agency, but a new agency philosophy.

As Drew rightly pointed out, I am no stranger to working in a start-up environment, having made the move from an established global public relations agency to a start-up relatively early in my career. For many years, I was the group CEO of that agency, which grew to be a global agency of over 250 people based across the UK, Continental Europe, the US and Australia.

As such, I came to building Tyto with a broad and international perspective on PR – but the most exciting element of starting from scratch was having that ‘blank sheet of paper’ opportunity to create something new and fresh.

Within the episode, Drew and I discuss everything from what is needed to succeed in a start-up environment, to Tyto’s PR Without Borders™ approach, and the importance of talent. The podcast is below, but here are a few of the key takeaways:

1. A successful start-up is all about the hustle
   This is not only true in public relations, but within any industry that a small business looks to enter as a newcomer. It is important to have a clear sense of vision and purpose that will resonate with others, but absolutely vital is having the passion and belief in this vision to go out and sell it. Where networking and selling is concerned, energy, enthusiasm and determination are required in abundance.
2. Long live public relations (without borders)
   It is an odd dichotomy that the narrative from many quarters that ‘PR is dead’ has emerged in this age in which company reputation has never been more important. Public relations is not about the semantics of the ways that people communicate, but rather the bigger picture of helping people to build, grow and manage the reputation of their companies. Of course, a wider range of skills are now needed to communicate than in years gone by, and this is part of Tyto’s PR Without Borders™ philosophy. Yes, the lines between public relations and marketing are more blurred than they ever have been, but both disciplines are fundamental to business success.
3. Clients crave talent
   A lot of time can be spent musing on what is and is not important to clients when they consider which public relations agency to choose. Yet if there is one thing clients want agencies to be able to guarantee above all other things, it is to have talented and experienced individuals working to support their business. As such, our approach at Tyto is to create, not a pyramid shaped hierarchy of employees, but instead a relatively flat structure. Our employees are people who have perfected and honed their skills over a number of years, and moreover have a desire to continue to practice communications to service clients, rather than merely acting as managers. 
4. Bricks and mortar not required
   Tyto’s agency model is location agnostic. By this we mean that people working for the agency can choose to work anywhere they want to. If people want to work in an office, we will provide a co-working space. If people want to work from home, we will provide them with the technology needed to ensure they can do so effectively. People no longer want to compromise their life choices for work by being forced to live in a city, or to face multiple hours of commuting each day – and why should they have to? Building company culture no longer relies on bricks and mortar. At Tyto, we still have Monday morning meetings, Friday afternoon drinks, and ‘water cooler’ chats – it’s just they often happen via video call. And, yes, we meet in person – but with purpose. We have employees working across five different countries, and we have found that when everyone is remote, no one feels remote. Company models like this are not just the future of agency, but of business.