A look at the inflection points that changed businesses
From Poland to the World: Boldare’s Holacracy success story.
Polish national Piotr Majchrzak is the Co-CEO of Boldare. With over 17 years of experience, he has weathered the IT industry's seismic shifts, founded and grown companies from ideas to international successes, and pioneered innovative management philosophies. From establishing XSolve, custom software, to co-founding Chilid, where design met development, and culminating in the birth of Boldare, Piotr's journey is a testament to agility, innovation, and sheer determination. He has utilised the Holacracy philosophy in his business from its early days. Piotr helps peel back the layers of this under-used business philosophy, and discusses why he adopted it and the reason it’s been so powerful for his organisations. Boldare are one of the most exciting tech stories to come of Europe in recent times and Piotr has never left his home town in Poland where he runs the whole company.
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Chasing Disruption: Terry Graunke's 40-Year Journey in Management
Joe speaks with Terry Graunke, Chairman and Founder of Erie Street, about his extensive management and investment career. He has led over 40 businesses: founding, growing, selling and listing them, all within disruptive industries.
In this episode they also discuss:
Terry talks about founding his first business, Omni-graphics, stumbling upon, then harnessing data to disrupt direct marketing, scaling and then selling to Omnicom. Terry then moved into the operator/investor role within the Hawthorne Group, before starting Lake Capital and ultimately the creation of Erie Street, a business services investment firm focusing on operational orientation and family office money.
Terry's emphasis on human capital, the importance of connections, and the role of curiosity and serendipity in success. Terry also discusses the significance of company values like kindness, curiosity, and courage in guiding daily activities and long-term value creation.
Terry discusses his involvement across various industries, including forensic accounting with Huron Consulting Group, web development with Eagle River, and the recent impact of AI on the market. He shares insights on balancing investor partnerships and fostering a patient investor base to focus on sustainable growth rather than short-term sales.
Joe and Terry also touch upon the challenges and opportunities in navigating regulatory landscapes, particularly with AI, and the overall evolution of the business landscape.
Timestamps:
04:52 Terry’s first start up in direct marketing
06:59 Seeking self-confidence, adaptability, and resourcefulness despite challenges.
13:00 How technology for cruise lines was a catalyst for e-commerce
19:58 The business opportunity Terry saw after Enron brought down Arthur Andersen.
28:00 The evolution of private equity, why Terry founded Erie Street and how it is different
35:04 Underwriting deals, hitting milestones, recapitalising for growth.
45:12 Investor worries about cybersecurity and future impact
From Old Trafford to the Palace: Paddy Harverson on Mastering the Business of Media Relations
Joe speaks with Paddy Harverson, co-founder of Milltown Partners, who shares his insights from his time managing communications at Manchester United and Clarence House as well as running his own agency. Paddy discusses Milltown's unique approach of marketing their business, how they created a successful company culture, and selling the business to an employee ownership trust in 2021.
Paddy discusses his journalism background and its importance on his subsequent roles; navigating media relations at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson's watchful eye to managing the public image of King Charles and his royal household. He emphasises the importance of calmness, truthfulness, and maintaining professional boundaries in high-stakes environments.
Paddy delves into the company's strategic focus on quality client relationships and honest communication, which has driven their reputation and growth, particularly in the tech and sports sectors.
Together they explore the foundational values that contributed to Milltown Partners' success, such as integrity, collaboration, and the privilege of selective project engagement. Lastly, they reflect on the evolving landscape of media and the crucial role of internal communications in navigating challenges like the pandemic.
Timestamps
00:00 Paddy Harverson on leadership, culture, and experiences.
10:55 Intensity of managing football communications, media content.
16:55 Representing and guiding Prince William and Harry through public life & media scrutiny
21:00 Handling the workload at the royal household.
24:59 Maintaining good media relationships
30:27 Advance preparation for royal tours across continents.
34:15 World leaders gather to commemorate D Day.
42:27 Consistency in work, clients, hiring, and culture.
44:33 Being selective about clients.
48:40 Evolution of business structure and media communications.
52:15 Internal communication is vital in business today.
Data & Deals: Successful Private Equity investing in Creative & Technology
Joe Hine speaks with Mark Sargeant from Phoenix Equity Partners. They discuss the constantly evolving world of private equity investment in the creative and digital sectors. In this episode, Mark demystifies Private Equity explaining how it really works, from raising funds to investing decisions and how the culture of the Private Equity business will define its success.
They also discuss:
- The integration of customer-centric strategies in investment practices
- The essential balance between creativity and financial health
- The rapid advancement in digitisation and the growing importance of data
- The changing dynamics of private equity and the ability for swift investments.
The Betches Way: Humour, Authenticity and Building a Media Business
Joe speaks with Aleen Dreksler, one of the founders of Betches, a business that started as a college blog in 2011 and has now evolved into a major player in women's media. Aleen reminisces about how they were motivated by comedians like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to create a fresh comedic voice different from conventional 'cutesy' content, focusing on self-deprecating humour and relatability.
In this episode they also discuss:
- the importance of Betches' strategic use of platforms like Instagram, and partnerships to authentically engage their target audience
- the acquisition journey, how they coped with the many suitors for the business and why they eventually choose LadBible
- the importance of having a good team
- fostering strong business relationships, expanding into new sectors
- maintaining a brand rooted in humour and authenticity and
- the values that contributed to their sustainable growth
Seven Decades of Disruption: Sir John Hegarty on Creativity & The Future of Advertising
Sir John Hegarty, Co-Founder of advertising agency, Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) and a titan of the industry, delves into his extensive career that spans over seven decades and provides the inside track on one of the industry’s most famous deals between BBH and Publicis…
In this episode they also discuss:
- The strategic growth and ethical considerations that guided Hegarty’s agency decisions
- Cultural shifts and their influence on advertising practices
- Sir John’s opinion on white shoes
- Who really invented the Curly Wurly and
- the impact of Elvis
From CEO to Chair: The Art of Transition & Effective Leadership
"...the world needs better leaders. Businesses need better leaders. And making a small contribution to that effort gets me out of bed every day." Joe sat down with Marc Nohr, a serial entrepreneur in the agency world - having sold two agencies and advised on the exit of several others. Marc shares his incredible personal and professional journey, including his commitment to philanthropy inspired by his mother, a Holocaust survivor.
In this episode we also discuss:
- Why selling your agency is just the beginning
- Taking a network to court and how he deals with stress
- Selling to Miroma Group and helping run a global network
- The transition from CEO to Chairman
- The importance of giving back and what happened when he met David Beckham
Navigating the Business of Politics
Iain Anderson shares his journey into the world of politics and business. Inspired to become involved in politics by the 1976 film 'All the President's Men' Iain joined the Conservative party as a young man but rather than looking to Parliament he founded his agency, Cicero and became a renowned political commentator on national and international media including many appearances on Question Time.
In this episode, we also discuss:
- Weathering the global financial crisis
- Agency M&A and becoming ready to acquire
- Selling Cicero to Havas and the global opportunities it presented
- The fear of being on Question Time
- What it's like to see your friends get to the top of the political tree
A leading edge
In the first episode of SI Partners’ podcast, Inflection Points, Joe Hine sits down with Euan Jarvie. Euan has led, grown, and transformed progressive media, data and technology companies across the world. Most recently he was the EMEA president of IRI Worldwide. Prior to this he was CEO of Dentsu UK&I through the pandemic and COO of MediaCom US. He brings his extensive experience in both public and PE-backed companies to this insightful conversation.
We discuss:
1. Growing MediaCom’s North American business
2. How Euan builds teams to compensate for his blind spots
3. Delivering radical transformation in an organisation of 8,000 people
4. How he shapes the culture of the companies he runs
5. The power of reverse mentoring
Sharpening your entrepreneurial toolkit
Timothy Armoo is a co-founder of Fanbytes, one of the UK's leading Gen Z social media and influencer marketing agencies. At Fanbytes, Timo created impactful work for the likes of Burger King, H&M, the UK Government, and Samsung before selling the business to Brainlabs in 2022. Named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his achievements in Media and Marketing, Timo started his entrepreneurial journey at just 17 when he started his first business and has gone on to start two more since.
We discuss:
1. His strong sense of self and how that pulled him out of a difficult upbringing
2. Understanding the games he can win and mentally levelling up
3. Selling his business and why he chose Brainlabs
4. “How to speak to white people”
Scaling the entrepreneurial mindset
Bruno Guicardi is the President & co-founder at CI&T. For over 25 years, CI&T has been trusted partner to the world’s biggest companies to deliver digital solutions that transform businesses. He has worked with the likes of Coca-Cola, AB InBev, Johnson & Johnson and Motorola. An entrepreneur of the digital age, Bruno started with two co-founders in Brazil and has grown the business to be 7,000 strong and listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
We discuss:
1. How Jim Collins stopped them selling the business for half a million dollars
2. Embedding and empowering LEAN methodology into a business of 500 people
3. How you structure an organisation of 7,000 people for growth
4. What the party is like when you list your business
From 40 to 4000: Scaling with Private Equity
Dimi Albers is Global CEO at Dept. A pioneering technology and marketing services company that creates end-to-end digital experiences for brands such as Google, KFC, Philips, Audi, Twitch, Patagonia, eBay. He has overseen the company’s rapid expansion to a truly global organisation of 4,000 employees. Dimi was part of Tam Tam, the agency that became Dept. Running that business for 11 years, holding many roles in the agency, including opening their Amsterdam office in 2011.
We discuss:
1. His journey into the agency space and becoming CEO.
2. How to tell Private Equity they are wrong
3. Bringing 33 companies together
4. The Dept culture and how they maintain it during growth
5. The stage of growth at which it's important to focus on culture
6. The key ingredients for success in technology businesses
Lessons from the Field: Lee Hackett's entrepreneurial journey
Lee Hackett is the Group CEO at Bluprintx. Bluprintx using technology such as Adobe and Salesforce to design and deliver growth in global organisations, connecting the dots between people, workflow, technology, and data. Under Lee's leadership, Bluprintx has experienced tremendous growth and now spans US, Europe and Asia. Built through both organically and by acquisition. Before Lee turned to business, he was a professional footballer with Wigan Athletic. Lee is a seasoned operator and investor in start-up businesses, over his career he has helped scale 7 startups driving over £50 million in net new revenue without any outside investment.
We discuss:
1. His transformation from a professional athlete to a business career
2. Adapting to ‘corporate’ life and how he became the youngest branch manager
3. How to approach business acquisitions and the underlying impact
4. The framework for effectively scaling businesses
5. How to make good decisions
Finding Your North Star: Mission-Driven Success with Somayeh Aghnia
Somayeh Aghnia is a serial entrepreneur and technology founder who co-founded Geeks, a company that helps senior leaders design, engineer, and adopt appropriate software technology to accelerate their businesses. Somayeh also created WordUp, an AI language app that has been downloaded over 5 million times, and most recently founded a technology university. Her outstanding achievements have earned her various awards, including the Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation, the UK Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, and the Gold Stevie Award for the most Innovative Company of The Year in Europe.
We discuss:
1. The most challenging periods growing Geeks
2. How to think about the North Star and mission to drive success
3. Building a strong support network and leveraging it to achieve your goals
4. Developing a growth mindset towards digital evolution
When Science and Art Combine: Daniel Gilbert's Brainwaves
Daniel Gilbert is the CEO of the data led marketing agency Brainlabs, set up in 2012 with a mission to help businesses build experimentation-led marketing operations. Since its inception Brainlabs has been on a phenomenal journey, by 2019 it had grown to 240 people and placed 1st on Deloitte's Tech Track Fast 50. It took investment from Livingbridge and expanded its capability and international reach across the US with 8 transactions to date. It's now a global player in the media market.
We discuss:
1. Leaving Google to start Brainlabs
2. The Brainlab handbook
3. Transition to Private equity investment and the benefits it brings
4. The huge advantages of a financial buyer
50 years of Disruption and Dealmaking: Sorrell's Journey in advertising
Sir Martin Sorrell is a titan of the advertising industry. He has been a driving force in the advertising world for over five decades, after working for Saatchi & Saatchi for nearly 10 years he founded and led the world's largest advertising company, WPP, for over 30 years. Sir Martin has disrupted the traditional advertising model, adapting to changes in technology, and pioneering the integration of creative content and data analytics. After leaving WPP, he founded S4 Capital, a disruptive advertising and marketing services company that combines creativity, data, and technology to help businesses drive growth in the digital age. He’s also been knighted by the Queen for services to the advertising industry.
We discuss:
1. What he learned from his foundational time at Saatchi and Saatchi
2. How and why he founded WPP
3. How he identifies the right businesses to acquire
50 years of Disruption and Dealmaking: Sorrell's Journey in advertising
Part two of the two-part Sir Martin Sorrell interview. Sir Martin Sorrell is a renowned figure in the advertising and marketing world, recognized as a titan in the industry. With a career spanning over five decades, he has made an incredible impact on the advertising landscape. With his vast experience, innovative thinking, and relentless pursuit of excellence, Sir Martin Sorrell remains an influential figure shaping the future of advertising and marketing.
We discuss:
1. How and why, he set up S4 Capital
2. The impact of AI on the advertising industry
3. How he approaches dealmaking and what he enjoys most
4. The future of S4 capital
Make Love Not Porn: Challenging Convention with Cindy Gallop
Cindy Gallop is a world-renowned brand and business innovator who prides herself on blowing things up, in the best way possible! Described as the 'Michael Bay of Business,' she shakes up conventional models and has ushered in transformative change across numerous sectors. A stalwart advocate for diversity, working tirelessly with companies committed to leading the diversity agenda. Her efforts in driving real change in this area have been revolutionary. In 2009, Cindy launched MakeLoveNotPorn at a TED talk. A pro-sex, pro-porn, and pro-knowing the difference initiative, MakeLoveNotPorn is the world's first user-generated, human-curated social sex video-sharing platform.
We discuss:
1. The real inspiration to start MakeLoveNotPorn
2. How agency and business leaders should create gender equality
3. The secret to building disruptive business models
4. The importance of sexual values in life and business
Breaking Borders: How an Agency Should Build Products
Daniel Ackermann started his entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 22, co-founding several tech companies. He currently employs over 300 talented individuals as CEO of Degordian. A serial tech founder he was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and the companies he has led have gained prestigious recognition, including multiple 'Best Employer' awards and Deloitte's CEE fast 50.
We discuss:
1. How to successfully incubate products inside an agency
2. Why agencies shouldn’t raise capital
3. Adapting your business to succeed in the US
4. Creation of a company with the goal of a happy and engaged top team
From Sydney with Love: Gina Lednyak's Story of Building a Social Media Empire
Gina Lednyak is the Founder & CEO of L&A Social, Australia’s leading Social Media Agency. Under Gina’s leadership, they have carved out a reputation for their expertise in helping brands businesses and brands successfully navigate the complex media landscape. Steering brands from the likes of Woolworths and Ferrari to remarkable success through social media. Named in B&T’s 30 under 30 Gina is passionate about female advocacy, ocean conservation, and creating impactful company culture.
We discuss:
1. The life cycle of a business and hitting the ceiling of complexity
2. How to develop a culture of purpose
3. Building a business that is easy to acquire
The De-listing Decision: Insights from Barrie Brien
Barrie Brien, is Group CEO of STRAT7 with a wealth of experience leading and inspiring. This episode covers Barrie Brien's experiences as CEO of Unlimited and then co-founder and Group CEO of STRAT7. He discusses his journey at Unlimited, becoming a CEO for the first time, his plan to re-brand and restructure the business to allow the critical de-listing from the London Stock Exchange and into Private Equity ownership. Two years later he successfully co-founded STRAT7 by raising capital and bringing together like minded business to build a contemporary strategy, consulting and data practice. Four years and four acquisitions later the business is going from strength to strength.
We discuss:
1. Why he re-branded a PLC
2. De-listing of Unlimited from the London Stock Exchange - the truths and challenges
3. Building a new private equity group from scratch
4. Internal transformation and the importance of global operating platforms
5. The acquisition process and strategic fit
From Poland to the World: Boldare’s Holacracy success story.
Polish national Piotr Majchrzak is the Co-CEO of Boldare. With over 17 years of experience, he has weathered the IT industry's seismic shifts, founded and grown companies from ideas to international successes, and pioneered innovative management philosophies. From establishing XSolve, custom software, to co-founding Chilid, where design met development, and culminating in the birth of Boldare, Piotr's journey is a testament to agility, innovation, and sheer determination. He has utilised the Holacracy philosophy in his business from its early days. Piotr helps peel back the layers of this under-used business philosophy, and discusses why he adopted it and the reason it’s been so powerful for his organisations. Boldare are one of the most exciting tech stories to come of Europe in recent times and Piotr has never left his home town in Poland where he runs the whole company.
We discuss:
1. The unfair advantage the young have when becoming an Entrepreneur
2. What is Holacracy and why it's the only solution for Boldare
3. How Boldare achieved its 100% international client base
