E33: A Thousand Tiny Things Make Up One Pivotal Moment with Andy Budd

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Andy Budd is the User Design Experience lead and the CEO of Clear Left, a 12-year-old agency with 30 people on staff.  Their average project price is between $200K & $300K.  He’s also a best-selling UX tech author and one of our industry’s foremost thought leaders.  He’s been a featured speaker at SXSW and has helped organize industry-specific meetups for founders to continue the growth of our industry.  While other agencies have grown and faded, Andy’s agency, Clear Left continues to thrive.  This is an episode you won’t want to miss

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• How the UK culture has allowed him to stay focused on WHY he built an agency instead of what the agency can do for him.
• The secret behind staying in business for 12 years without ever having to lay off a single employee.
• The two biggest benefits of picking a singular focus and how it can transform your business.
• Why sticking to one certain way to build an agency could be the kiss of death
• The difference between folks who romanticize about the past instead of always looking forward and the impact it’s had on his business.
• How his agency got to the point where their average project fee is between $200k – $300k.
• What it means to “hire behind the pipeline” and why it could be the best piece of advice he gives.
• How he was able to build a stable agency that always operates with a 3-6 month buffer of cash.

Links:

• Clearleft
• Design Sprint

Quotes:

• “Constantly make yourself redundant.  Find areas where you can constantly replace yourself.”
• “Are your decisions based on fear or positivity?”
• “The agency isn’t a pot to draw cash from.”
• “Life is a bunch of smaller course corrections.”