Starting a business comes with it’s set of challenges. A boutique ad agency startup is no different. By the time I realized how much it takes to run a startup, there was no looking back.
I was in too deep. My boutique ad agency has to work!
Some people give me grief for using the word “boutique,” but at the time I launched the agency, it was fitting. So there haters!
What’s one thing you are constantly seeing on the web? Think about what you read on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or any other social media platform — oh not to mention TikTok!
Take your best guess.
No, I am not talking about funny cat videos, memes, or people posting about what they had for breakfast (even though sometimes that inspires me to try new recipes).
And I am definitely not talking about people who are posting fail videos, even those are hilarious.
I’m talking about people showing off how successful and rich they are in their own advertising agency business. They post pictures and videos of their fancy cars, extravagant vacations, shopping sprees, and their mansions. These are the people who are flaunting how successful their own boutique ad agency is — living the good life; claiming to be experts in digital marketing.
But that’s far from why I wanted to start my ad agency. It’s actually the opposite. No I don’t want to be broke. That’s not what I mean. What I wanted was something beyond the materialistic bounty. I’ll get into that later in this article.
But do you know to know a secret?
People who show off online tend to be the ones who are trying to over compensate how poor they actually are.
But sadly, that doesn’t stop people from taking advice and paying for courses from all the “loud” marketers out there strutting their peacock feathers.
Here’s a little insight I’ve gathered…
People who really have the money and success don’t go around running Facebook and LinkedIn ads to show off how much cash they have. And they surely don’t care what others think of them.
I learned this from my parents, among other valuable life lessons.
I was the only child, but my parents raised me indifferently
I didn’t grow up with money. Yes, both my parents worked, but just enough to provide for our family. They weren’t rich.
Don’t feel sorry for me, my childhood wasn’t that horrible. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all.
My parents worked hard so they could have the money to support my passion for badminton (yes, it’s a sport).
Eventually, after years of practice and perseverance I started winning tournaments. I did well enough to received a sponsorship in my high school days.
That was really my only way of having some of the best badminton equipment at my young age.
But as I was growing up, my parents taught me that showing off only draws more attention and causes problems.
That’s why till this day, I don’t publish “lifestyle” photos of myself. I prefer keeping my personal life private as much as I can.
I do have all the social profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter but my posts are mainly motivational and content about marketing, entrepreneurship — you know, things that add value to you.
See, when I was growing up, I was taught to be thankful for whatever I had and I still do and hope to impart that characteristic to my children.
I bought my own first car after college
While most of my friends in college were driving around in new cars their parents bought them, I took the bus every day for 4 years.
I had a friend who’s parents bought him a new BMW in his sophomore year. It was quite an impressive car. But I wasn’t impressed. Thanks to what my parents taught me, I realized that this was not something he worked hard for.
I get it…parents love their children and what to shower them with love — materialistically at least.
My first car was a 2000 Nissan Sentra. I bought it when I got my first job out of college. It wasn’t a fancy car like the ones my friends drove, but it was something I worked hard for.
This experience, as well as few other similar ones, taught me that people feel entitled based on their version of how the world should work in their mind.
And that’s what you’re getting when it comes to getting entrepreneurship advice.
Don’t believe me?
I know what you are thinking…”no Derek, I don’t believe everything I see on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social media.”
And I am sure you don’t because most of them are paid advertising to get you to sign up for their webinars, training courses or seminars. If starting a boutique ad agency was that simple, then everyone would be successful at it. But those “pros” make it look so simple.
But let me as you a question.
If you’re an entrepreneur who’s hungry to grow your startup…who would you take entrepreneurship advice from?
A random person who post videos of his favorite ice cream flavor, barely has money, and is telling you how to grow your website traffic.
OR…
Someone who lives in a beach side mansion, drives a Lambo, and travels in a private jet.
OR…
what about being open to listening to both? In life, always look for opportunities to learn, hear someone out, and cast no judgement.
I have a favorite saying “Don’t feel that you’re too good for anyone.”
I’m willing to bet you will choose to take the advice from the Lambo-driving-beach-side-mansion-living-globe-trotting person over the ice-cream-eating person. And that’s what many entrepreneurs are doing and where they go wrong.
The problem is that people who have money feel entitled to have an audience. But that doesn’t mean they know what is best for your business.
One-sided advice that will lead you astray
In an ideal world, you would be open-minded and listen, not necessarily take advice, from everyone.
But you could pick up a thing or two by just being open to letting people talk and listening. There’s always a chance to learn something you may not be aware of.
In many cases, people who have money have little grasp on the hardships of reality. Yes, they might have been where you’re at before from the ground up, but the spoils of their success have removed them from reality.
Just because people like Gary Vaynerchuck or Tony Robbins have done well, I wouldn’t take every from them about marketing, per se.
Sure, I enjoy listening to them about business, mindset, and personal growth, but I know when to draw the line. In many videos, you will see these guys board their private jets or talk about how successful they are.
They are frequently painting a picture of hope and success. And just because they have money, entrepreneurs turn to them for all sorts of advice…including marketing advice.
That’s not always the best thing to do. Sometimes, you can better practical advice from a small business owner than these flashy people on YouTube or Instagram.
The point I’m making is this…
Know your audience. Just because someone looks rich and successful, and maybe even potentially is, it doesn’t mean you should follow everything they say and go to them for all sorts of advice.
This just doesn’t make sense.
Know what they are really good at, pick their brain, and get advice related to what they know well and that’s it.
You can learn from everyone, not just the flashy guys on social media
I confess. I follow the flashy guys and learn a lot about them. I focus on how they do their marketing — there’s a lot to learn from, both the good, bad, and ugly.
Things like how they amass such huge social following. How they sell out events. How they partner and promote their products online.
I believe you can learn from everything they do. The bad — what to avoid. The good — how you can apply it and make it better for your business.
Always look for opportunities to learn from. The moment you feel you know everything, that would mark the beginning of your downfall.
My parents taught me a valuable lesson growing up…you can learn from anyone as long as you are willing to listen and be humble.
So what else did my parents teach me that helped me launch my boutique ad agency?
The loudest person in the room is not always the smartest – there are many successful people with money who you are not aware of. That’s because they don’t parade their wealth and rub it in your face in the name of entrepreneurship. The person who shows off in social media are usually the people who have less than you think.
Life isn’t as bad as you think – entrepreneurship is one of the wildest roller coaster ride you’ll get on. It has sharp turns, good moments, frightening down turns, and cruise speed. You need to stay logical, level headed, and quick on your feet to deal with anything life throws at you. One of the best things I was told is to remember there’s always someone who’s doing better and another person doing worse than you.Â
Arrogance will lead you to death – having money doesn’t make you better than anyone else. It’s unfortunate that many people who have money feel they are above everyone else. On the other hand, not having money doesn’t make you worse than the next person either. It’s important to find your purpose in life and do what you are passionate about. Cheesy or not, it’s the truth.
Contentment is the greatest  – what makes you happy? And why do people want to find happiness? But this is a futile effort — because the reality of life is this concept of eternal happiness doesn’t exist. I don’t care how good your life is, you will not be happy 24/7/365. Instead, I was taught to live my life being content with what I have. Contentment is far greater than anything else because it doesn’t leave you in want. Yes, you continue to work hard and grow your business, but you’re doing it because it’s your passion, not because of greed.
Being influential is greater than having authority – sure, it’s great to be in a position of authority. Who doesn’t like being well known and call the shots. But growing up, I was taught the exact opposite. It is far more important to be a positive influence in people’s lives. Your ability to motivate and inspire others is exponentially more powerful than being in power.Â
You earn respect, you’re not entitled to it – yes, many will follow you if you are showing off your wealth. But these are people who are after on thing…your money. Yes, they are fake. And you know them because they come out of the woodwork when you have money then disappear when you stop spending money on them. Real respect is earned — without spending a single dollar. Your accomplishments, influence, and story gains you respect, not from your money.
Think before you act – when your business is booming, don’t start showing off and talking about how great you are. That’s not going to help you develop relationships or get respect. The more successful you get, you’ll attract more attention that can distract you from your focus. So, think carefully before you start rambling off to everyone you talk to.
Learn to crawl, walk, then run – we’ve all heard this before. But it’s really difficult for people who are impatient to follow these steps. Successful people make it look easy for you to follow their footsteps. They like to see you their “success formulas” and many people will get convinced into buying in. Let me ask you something. If being successful was so easy, wouldn’t everyone around you be already doing it? What you are really buying is hope. So if you are starting your business, focus on building a strong foundation before trying to take over the world.
Be willing to listen to people even if they don’t look successful – yes, you get judged all the time whether you like it or not. That’s human nature. And if anyone tells you they are not judgmental people, they’re lying to you. We all dish out some form of judgment — accept it. Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learn was from people who’re not dressed in expensive suits or drive fancy cars. It’s not what they have but what they know that matters.
Don’t be blinded by the glitz and glamour of success – people will try to convince you of their success. But in many cases, the people showing off what they have are the people who have the least. Sad but true. The people who are wealthy shy away from the public and avoid people knowing they have money. You should already know this by now, that most things on social media is just a staged reality. There’s a ton of fakes out there.
Conclusion
You’re asking yourself, what does all this have to do with why I started my boutique ad agency in the first place?
It has everything to do with it.
Without the values and lessons I embraced from my parents, I would be running my business in all the wrong directions.
My guiding principles of hard work has helped me build my agency from ground up. From day one of doing everything myself to hiring a few more people to join my team — has been nothing short of a roller coaster.
But I learn to survive all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, not because I spend countless hours each day watching YouTube motivational videos.
I also don’t subscribe to the illusionists of wealth — these are people who spend whatever money and time they have creating the illusion of their wealth so they can scam you into buying into their “programs.”
And you shouldn’t too — because you’re too smart for that.
Focus on learning from these people who almost scammed you. Ask yourself, how did you fall for it. What was so convincing about the video. Look at their ads, landing pages, copy…what can you learn from it and use it in your honest marketing strategy.
Instead, spend your waking hours doing the necessary things to grow yourself and your startup.
I created my ad agency because I wasn’t fulfilled in the corporate world and realized that my skills is much better used helping businesses grow their online business.
What lessons in life do you hold on to that is guiding what you do today?
