The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with John Geletka. John owns and founded Geletka + - a small agency located in the West Loop of Chicago
The agency was founded five years ago.
John's an artist by training but has done several different jobs in his career including corporate marketing, but he's also an entrepreneur at heart.
It was fascinating to talk to a small agency owner and get his thoughts on the market and the business today.
On Starting an Agency During COVID
"We had a, we had like a really good start. And I think I attributed it to a couple of reasons, right? We looked at our engagements a little bit differently and it wasn't, it's not a big shift. A lot of people do it. So it's nothing innovative, but, during a time like COVID where there's rapid uncertainty, we would take up, let's call it a 50 to a hundred grand project and we turn it into a retainer and break it up over six and 12 months. So we were always, we're able to like run the discipline, help our clients out financially in uncertain times, and then run the business with a level of discipline."What Clients Want
"What clients and complex industries don't want is something, you know Some hotshot coming in and just telling them what to do and what's cool They want somebody to sit down and learn the business. Empathize with them go all in and learn about their customers they've known for 10, 20, or 30 years. And that takes like that takes time. They're also looking for that outside perspective I think a lot of folks are welcome to it as long as you sit down And understand them."
What He Wants from Talent
"I mean, there's a sort of a roll your sleeves up graft aspect here that is required. And there's a danger with the prima donna with the attitude of "that's kind of beyond me".
Why the Interest in Web 3
"There's an awesome art culture that's in there, There is a gaming culture that's... that's kind of the next layer of the art. I call it a subculture because you got all these little mini-cultures. And they sort of interact with each other a little bit, right?Integrating AI into the Process
"We buy the big chunk of our organization seats on Mid-journey and GPT. And we give them access and range to use it as a tool, right? AI, from my perspective, is a great accelerator. It is by no means a replacement for great creative. It is by no means like here is just a machine that we're going to produce AI-driven content or copy, but it is like, you know, for a team, it can, it can help storyboard faster, it can help do research faster, it can help round out headlines, it can help they can help do things. But it can't do, it's not a replacement for a writer. It's not a replacement for a designer."The Importance of Honesty "We're not afraid to say a few things that we're not doing well in the first conversation. So that level of just being as candid as I can in early conversations has served us well, not only in the sales process but when we get to work because people know what they're getting."