Paul Bailey co-founded BGN – the strategic design and digital agency which has been described as a “rising star” – alongside Antonio Giansante and David Newton in 2017.
BGN is based in Manchester and works with clients including Rustlers, Komi, Carlsberg, and Mojo Mortgages. Its co-founders met at AHOY, where Paul Bailey was Account Director.
He has experience working with businesses of all sizes from multinationals to start-ups, and utilises this knowledge to help businesses achieve their goals in collaboration with them.
We found out the lessons Paul’s learnt.
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
Every morning, I need to formulate a crystal-clear plan for the day ahead and I do that before I send a single email or speak to anyone.
That process gives me clarity, structure and focus. Our business is incredibly busy so having that initial path helps massively. That’s not to say that by 10am everything hasn’t changed, but that’s the nature of what we do.
What’s been your luckiest break?
It’s probably not the luckiest break, but it’s certainly the most defining moment in how I chose this career path. After finishing a business degree at university, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and at the same time my brother was looking for some help at the agency he worked at.
I gave it a go and it was my first step into the agency world. Working at an integrated agency gave me a broader knowledge of agency life and it allowed me to truly understand which aspects of it I was interested in. It was a really valuable learning curve and set me up well.
What’s your best failure?
I try not to dwell on failures and thankfully there haven’t been any corkers as yet. If something does go wrong, I always try to find a positive so I don’t make the same mistake again.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
Setting up BGN with Antonio and Dave without a doubt. We all share the same passion for branding but we each bring different skillsets to the table. That mix seems to work well.
We’re growing organically year on year; we work with some great people and we’re incredibly proud of our diverse roster of clients. For me personally, it was a massive risk setting up the agency as I’d just welcomed a baby, but that gave me the drive to make BGN a success.
Which book would you recommend others to read and why?
‘Eleven Rings’ by Phil Jackson. He is arguably the greatest coach in the history of the NBA so it’s amazing to learn from him and transfer his approach to sports team management into a business environment.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
There’s three: Believe in yourself; don’t let other people’s opinions influence your decisionmaking; and spend more time travelling. I try and stick to each one.
Except maybe the last one – as children and running a business aren’t really conducive!
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
My parents taught me how important a strong work ethic is. That’s doesn’t mean working for working’s sake, it’s about working in the right way and being your best. I always look for it when recruiting.
They also made me appreciate the true value of earning my own money from a young age. It’s stood me in good stead.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I’ve never had an actual job interview. I’ve always had chance encounters that have led to jobs. It’s always been like that – right from when I worked in bars and retail, and then into the agency world. Hopefully, I’ll never need one now.
How will the COVID crisis change work for the better?
I really hope that people have realised the value of having a healthly work-life balance. It’s so important and is a central pillar of how we run BGN. It’s also showed how flexible businesses can be with their workforces.
I don’t think the traditional nine-to-five, five days a week routine will ever return and that’s good thing. Companies are now far more time efficient thanks to the mass adoption of online meetings, travel costs are down, which in turn is good for the environment as well as the wallet, and workers are better motivated and engaged.
On the flipside, I’d hate to see remote working in isolation as nothing is better than face-to-face interaction in the workplace. It’s been great getting back into the office with the team.
What does success look like to you?
Real success is having the right balance between my family and working lives. But it’s also building a business that everyone enjoys working for – and with – as well as being recognised for producing fantastic work that adds value.
