TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN 2021!

By Danny Matthews, creative director of Danny&co which is an award winning brand consultancy & design studio.

Your top marketing or PR tips for 2021?

Re-align yourself with what your target market are saying, doing and buying. The last year has altered much of how we buy things and it’s your chance to get to know what that is for your clients.

Go deeper on relationships by paying attention to those who start conversations on social media. People starting conversations is usually a good sign that someone is open to a deeper conversation. Pursue it - you never know where it could lead.

Be available to support peer groups, communities and groups where your target market hang out. Collaboration will be the key to success in 2021 by building lasting, impactful partnerships.

Who are the business buddies in your corner for 2021? 

With the help of the Kickstart Scheme I will become an employer for the first time in 2021 and from what I’m told, employing eight people to work remotely on a results-only work environment will be both challenging and rewarding but I am fortunate to have these three people in my corner to make it all happen:

Steph & Mark Rickaby (and all of the team) from Sunflower Accounts who have been relentless in supporting small businesses through the pandemic. I know I can really count on them as my team grows.

Karen Ferris from Professionals in Partnership who helped me as my gateway for the Kickstarter scheme and shares many of the beliefs, values and behaviours I look for in a HR advisor.

Jo Smyth from Wordworker who has helped me win awards and get on BBC radio. She will continue to support the stories we tell in 2021.

What are your ethics for 2021? 

It's going to be a big year of partnerships inside and outside of the creative sector in 2021 so my top ethic for the year is collaboration over competition. Coming together as small businesses will be a big thing we take from lessons of 2020.

I think our ability to care for ourselves and each other has been tested in 2020 and people are acting out of love or fear. I’ll be looking for those who want to be building the biggest building, without tearing other buildings down.

I have realised recently that I have built up some strong beliefs about leadership throughout my career which I will be carrying into my business this year, one of which is people before profit - making sure my people are looked after so the business can look after itself.

What are the attributes you are looking for in staff/suppliers in 2021? 

This year I’ll be looking for three things in staff, clients and suppliers:

• Shared values
• Purpose beyond money
• Optimism

What is your take on the word ‘free’ in business? 

I don’t think anyone should work or trade for nothing, but that doesn’t mean It has to be cash that is exchanged for value (products or services). 

For example; we will occasionally support small businesses or charities with branding and design work without exchanging cash but instead they will let us put ‘designed by Danny&co.’ on the design or give a case study/testimonial.

Sometimes the value of this is far beyond what they would have paid but comes from effort, rather than budget.

What will you be investing in this year? 

People, people, people. I am investing in hiring, developing and training a dream team of doers and creators to be able to scale everything I invested in during 2020.

It’s always scary to invest so heavily in your business without any guarantee of a return but so far it’s paying off and so I want to make sure we’re keeping momentum throughout 2021.

What are you doing for charity or community this year? 

As a commitment to help my Kickstart Scheme intake get long term employment we are on the lookout for a local charity or small business who would like to go through a ‘public’ branding (or rebranding) process. 

Led by me as creative director with a creative team of eight it will help the business or charity grow while giving the team a tangible real life client to add to their portfolio, while removing the budget barrier many will struggle with in 2021.

What are your ‘absolute no-nos’ for 2021 in business? 

You have to know what you want in order to become a client. I love what I do, it’s my passion and my vocation but when we decide to work with clients we have to make it clear that we can’t want it more than them.

You can’t be in it just for money, regardless of whether you are a client or supplier. We work with people who share our values and that are in pursuit of purpose beyond just making money. 

As small business owners what we do is often personal. If not in the work itself then certainly what it enables. We listen out for the phrase ‘it’s just business’ and challenge it before making a decision to work with someone. 

Any special offers you’d like to mention? 

The new year is a good time to assess and benchmark your brand to find out where you need to focus. Our unique scorecard gives you a benchmark of Brand Confidence® for you, your teams and clients as well as identifies areas to align your company with your target market.

It’s free and takes less than five minutes - https://dannyand.co/scorecard/

For more information visit https://dannyand.co/