Small businesses face unique challenges when it comes to growth and expansion. From deciding which projects to take on and where to focus your investments, to experiencing new scenarios, to regularly onboarding new employees, it can be a lot to navigate. But with the right strategies and tools in place, success is possible.
One business that has seen exceptional growth over the past four years is Myth Studio, a London-based creative agency that produces explainer videos, motion graphics, 3D animation, and corporate communications. Launched during the pandemic, Myth Studio has grown from two full-time staff members to nine in 18 months, while working with some of the most well-known global brands.
There are key elements to success at this speed. That’s why Myth Studio’s Director of Business Partnerships, Jimmy Gordon, shared his agency’s business story, best practices, and insight into what it takes to grow a small business in today’s competitive market.
Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the creation of Myth Studio?
Our founder, James Finley, was an experienced freelancer but always had ambitions to start a studio. Myth Studio was born after he made connections and gained the necessary experience. We started 2020 in the middle of a pandemic and the early days were tough with a lot of uncertainty. Like any new creative agency, we knew we had the expertise to succeed and have grown since then.
What was it like launching during a pandemic? What challenges and opportunities did you encounter?
Looking back, the pandemic was the perfect time to launch. The lack of live film accelerated the demand for animation and motion graphics. At the same time, there was also a major shift to remote work. We were just starting out, so rather than adapting to traditional processes, working collaboratively and remotely, and putting in place a technology stack to do it globally, was built in from day one. I meant it. By doing this from day one and using tools like Dropbox, we have lowered the barrier to entry and are able to move faster.
Who was your first major customer and what lessons did you learn from that experience that you can share with others looking to follow a similar path?
Our first major client was working with Revolt, now our long-time partner, on a project for Budweiser to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. This offer came to us out of the blue through our freelance connections, and we actually almost turned it down because his two-week turnaround time meant it would be a real all-hands-on-deck situation. .
But we knew we couldn’t say no to having a brand like that in our portfolio, so we jumped at it. It’s been a crazy few weeks, but Dropbox has made it possible for us to collaborate quickly. Beyond location. My biggest advice is to take risks and say yes to opportunities that are outside of your comfort zone. You can learn a lot and find opportunities and areas to strengthen your business.
How has the way your team collaborates and worked together changed as your agency has grown?
As a studio, we bring a lot of personality and intuition into everything we do, and are constantly evaluating the way we work to maintain that. This is a continuous improvement cycle for our systems and processes, and we are constantly experimenting with collaborative tools to ensure we are using the best. Especially when it comes to security and efficiency, because things like encryption and storage levels are of paramount importance when working with big brands.
What does it look like to incorporate freelancers into your team’s existing structure and workflow?
Cooperation with freelancers is a very important part of our growth strategy. If a big project comes along and the scope is a little larger than expected, he may need to double the size of his team. That’s why we decided to augment the work of his nine full-time staff with a wide network of highly skilled freelancers. This gives you flexibility in how you can get extra support and boost your creativity.
But clearly, freelancers use different systems, and each works differently from each other. And for this to work, people need to be integrated within a team and everyone needs to sing from the same hymn sheet. Therefore, we had to change the way we work. We now have a good onboarding flow in place that takes security needs into account. After all, when working with large companies, you can’t share everything.
That was the main reason we moved to Dropbox Enterprise. Now you can control folder permissions and add his two-factor authentication to shared folders. Dropbox Capture lets you create video archives of your onboarding process for freelancers and new team members, making setup more seamless.
How do you work together as a team and with clients, from brief to final product?
We aim to make everything as streamlined as possible from the beginning, and we include our clients in that.
It starts with attending an information session to get an overview of the project. After following up on the call notes to ensure nothing was lost in translation, we begin collaborating to put together a proposal to send to the client.
Once the project starts, set up a Slack channel with your client for easy communication. If you’re using a freelancer, they’ll also be added to her Dropbox. Project stages vary, but typically start with creating style frames and motion tests, then move to storyboarding and then production. Adding and receiving feedback is very important here. That’s why we use his Dropbox Replay for feedback on video content. Because it’s very easy for client stakeholders to participate and provide feedback frame by frame and compare iterations side by side.
Because people are working in many locations, rather than share the screen and risk having a conversation through the movie, which we all know can cause delays, everyone involved can use their own You can jump to versions and watch them at the same time. With structured version control and integration with other editing tools, Replay lets you create content faster and approve final versions.
Finally, always use Dropbox Transfer to send your final product for a quick, easy, and professional-looking packaged look and feel.
Have you had to take the time to develop your way of working in order to work with international clients? Do you have any tips for others looking to expand their brand and customer base internationally?
Two words: collaboration tools. Working across time zones can be beneficial. For example, in the US, we can deliver a film at the end of our time, the client can review it in the evening of our time, and we can go into revisions the next day. But here it is very important to have the right tools to avoid missing things. That’s why Replay (one of our producers’ favorite tools) is so important. Multiple people can add feedback neatly and accurately in one place.
Whether you’re working with international or local clients, remove friction and allow everyone to focus on important work instead of wasting time on administration. That is important. Use Slack instead of long email chains, use Google Meet for super-quick call links, and disambiguate video feedback thanks to timestamps and annotated comments. can.
Do you have any final advice for other small businesses or creative agencies looking to accelerate their growth?
It’s all about relationships. People like to work and have fun with good people who do good work. There’s no reason to go anywhere else. That’s why internally, we have studios as well as remote work so people can come together flexibly. From a growth perspective, don’t be afraid to leverage the relationships you’ve built. We are proof that they open doors.
Finally, never underestimate the power of providing the right technology to your people. With the right tools in hand, our employees can perform the work that defines our business without having to be in the same room or the same time zone.
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