This post is the first in a series of interviews with talented, successful entrepreneurs sharing the stories behind how they grew their companies, their struggles and their victories. In this post, hear how Daniel Francavilla, Creative Director, Now Creative Group, went from freelancer to company founder in five short years, quickly becoming one of Toronto’s most loved and respected boutique marketing agencies.
Okay, Daniel. Give us the backstory. What’s your why? Why did you start Now Creative Group?
Daniel Francavilla, Now Creative Group: I started Now Creative Group after freelancing as a graphic designer (and then web designer) for a few years. I started the company because there was an increasing need for a full service solution for small-medium sized business and nonprofit organizations.
Many of my early clients were coming to me with one or two components completed that they weren’t happy with and wanted them improved or re-done by Daniel the freelancer. Then they would take what I create for them and often have an additional freelancer work with them for future materials, or they had previously already hired someone else to build their website, but they hired me for their logo, for example. The goal was to provide a streamlined solution that was very easy for the client, and also a created a better project process and a better result overall because we are then able to provide a single cohesive solution and be involved throughout the process.
What services does Now offer? The broad categories we cover are design, digital marketing and media. The primary services that we are focusing on more in 2018 are surrounding branding (which includes brand strategy and visual identity design), social media (which includes social media management, social media strategy), and content creation. As part of this, we produce a lot of video. We also take on website projects quite frequently, but our focus is on the overall branding and design.
“[W]ho you hire or collaborate with is super important. It’s not just about their portfolio, but it’s about how they can work as a team and their process, and if they’re aligned with your team’s vision and goals.”
What have you learned about growing an agency? What wisdom do you have to share with us and our readers?
Five years in, I’m constantly learning. The first is that who you hire or collaborate with is super important. It’s not just about their portfolio, but it’s about how they can work as a team and their process, and if they’re aligned with your team’s vision and goals.
Second learning is that although they say the client is always right, it is an uphill battle to get yourself on the same page and explain everything to certain clients. Not only sharing the rationale for what we’re doing, but explaining how it applies specifically to their business and to showcase the fact that we’ve helped several other businesses with these problems.
The third thing I’ve learned is that growth doesn’t come in a linear path. There’s periods of growth that are up and down over the course of a year, and when it comes to growing an agency… it’s actually not the same as just adding several employees and ramping up your number of clients. It’s actually about getting different types of clients, larger accounts, or different types of projects, and then finding the right team members that can fit those projects. It’s not so much about going from five employees to 10 employees or 50
employees.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs who are looking to scale their companies?
First thing is to review why you’re trying to scale. I decided about a year ago that I’m not interested in having a 100-person agency as a goal. I prefer to have a smaller agency that takes on larger projects, and fewer of them where we can make a real impact.
So, for entrepreneurs who are trying to scale, I would look at why you’re trying to scale and what does scaling actually mean to you? Does it mean more employees? Does it mean more revenue, more cities/countries, more physical offices, more online presence?
And the next aspect is, realize and remind yourself that whatever you did to start your business and to operate as an independent entrepreneur (or a freelancer or a smaller-size company) is not necessarily going to work when you scale. It’s a new mindset that you have to have.
What is the best aspect of being entrepreneur?
Freedom. Not only the freedom of a schedule and time, but the freedom to create, to launch side projects, to put out new ideas in the world and not have to wait for them to happen. Another aspect of this is the freedom to collaborate. I can approach anyone to partner with. I can choose to hire a variety of individuals. I can choose to partner with different companies, work with friends, sponsor conferences and charities.
Another aspect about being an entrepreneur that I would say is up there is the ability to form your future as well. It’s the idea that we’re building something now that could evolve into something else later on.
How has working with Katrina McKay as a business growth coach, help grow your business?
Working with Katrina has helped the company get through a critical point in our business history. Somewhere in our fourth year, we had a lot of changes with team members, services focuses and variable revenue. As the founder of a very active agency, Katrina really helped put everything into perspective and better equipped me to make decisions. (Helping to frame things and see things differently so that I could more clearly make the call). It’s also been very helpful to have Katrina around as a sounding board for smaller items that arise, and even to be a connector. It’s great to discuss in the Facebook group for example, and also seeing Katrina in other Facebook groups, she’s able to connect me with other entrepreneurs and even give referrals.
Editor’s Note: Katrina is the founder of Uplevel Solutions, and our lead coach. Want to learn more about coaching and all of the services we offer at Uplevel? Click here.
How are you using Uplevel’s business support services to help you grow Now Creative?
We are using Uplevel’s virtual assistants to help our team with a lot of the tasks that we know we need to do, but either they’re very repetitive, or they’re tasks that often get left aside. The agency size we are currently at does not allow us to have administrative assistants, secretaries and office assistants, so there are a lot of tasks that can fall by the wayside. One of the things we use the VA services for is transcribing notes from meetings and even events and talks, so that we can use that content later and refer back to it. Another key support service that we use from the virtual assistants is helping us to schedule some content online. Although we do have full time social media managers on our team, sometimes, there’s stuff for the company itself or some overflow work. It’s helpful to be able to offload some additional tasks. The third way that we’re using Uplevel’s virtual assistants is to help us put together lists of people to contact, whether it’s for events or for a sales outreach, we’re able to provide parameters and they work on researching and compiling lists together.
What’s been the most difficult decision you’ve had to make in the past 12 months?
Hiring decisions, and deciding how to niche down our services/client type.
What’s the easiest decision you’ve had to make in the past 12 months?
The easiest decision we made was actually deciding to focus on our core strengths. After a while of juggling offering so many services at the same level, the decision came after some stressful situations and projects that were not ideal for us. The easiest decision was “let’s focus on our strengths”, so really highlight those core services.
When you’re not focused on growing your marketing agency, what do you like to do for fun?
For me, a lot of this stuff is tied to the business, as an entrepreneur. However, I also run a non-profit organization. I enjoy speaking at events and mentoring youth. I love mentoring young leaders who are starting their own non-profit or community initiatives. I also occasionally find time to go to the movies (though I barely know actor’s names, I do love movies and engaging fully in a theatre). I also love road trips with a couple of my friends. And I really like spending time in cafes. Visiting my family who live up just north of the city is also a great break from the hustle.
“I believe that as an entrepreneur, I have the ability to make an impact. I can have the time and resources, and I should use that for good.”
What’s one thing you’re proud of in your personal life? What’s one thing you’re proud of when it comes to your professional life?
In my personal life, I’m proud of the relationships I’ve been able to maintain for so long. That includes some family and cousins who people often grow apart from, but I’ve actually been able to bring two of my cousins into the business for some photography work, and my (younger) brother as well has been able to be part of the company. I’m happy to be able to have done that.
I would also say that raising money and supporting other causes is something I’m proud of. This is really important to me because I believe that as an entrepreneur, I have the ability to make an impact. I can have the time and resources, and I should use that for good. So, proud of the work that I’ve done in the community on that front.
When it comes to my professional life, I’m proud of the social good design award that we won a few years back for an innovative conference to help youth create, make an impact, make a difference. And I’m proud of my agency being awarded a couple of large RFPs that we put in lots of effort to apply for.
Finally, I am proud that we were able to establish a physical space, and make it more than simply an office for the agency. And although we will be reducing our space and changing it, two years later I’m still really proud of the fact that we were able to renovate, redesign and brand the space, and bring hundreds l of people through our doors for events, shoots and collaborations.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
D: Yes. That’s one of my go-to pizza toppings.
Editor’s Note: Agreed, Daniel, agreed. Pineapple absolutely belongs on pizza.
