In My Business, I Look at the Next 10 Years Because I Have To

I am constantly thinking about change—something that is quite scary to a lot of people. My goal of leading this company to become the greatest mid-sized agency ever naturally drives my thought process toward change—the kind of change that could potentially alter the culture and makeup of an agency. Some have been giant misses. Others have led to great successes.

Each time I think about change, I jot down every possible thought that enters my brain (you should see my scratch notes). I try to weigh the positives and negatives and the potential wins and fall-outs from my plan. For those on my leadership team who listen to the possibility of change, they are probably slightly stressed. Their minds go to a place where they wonder how this is going to affect the business today. I go to a place where I wonder how this can help the business tomorrow.

At the end of the day, there is only one person who cannot quit No Limit Agency* or 1851—that’s me. Sure, that’s a lot of pressure, but it’s also a lot of drive to constantly find ways to win more for our clients and for our team. I am constantly thinking about what the world will look like 10 years from today.

I am not sure if this is an entrepreneurial mindset or limited to a select few, but I am so committed to winning (not just financially, but mentally) that while riding this wave of momentum, I can’t help but see this beautiful potential light at the end of the tunnel.

For those who live this day-to-day, it may not be as easy. I wish I could make it easier for them today. My intentions are that any change I put in place today will impact them more and more as the days go by. I don’t just want to win for me; I want to win for them. I want to help them find what = happiness in our business.

One important lesson I had to learn in business adjustments was to not think about how to improve the model just for those who are in the business today—but for those who will be in the business tomorrow. Structure and process must be the driving factor to finding the next right business equation. If I can nail down both structure and process, with myself and my leadership team, we will have a shot at becoming the greatest mid-sized agency that ever existed.

I look at changing today for 10 years from now. If I can nail down the formula, then, perhaps, everyone in our agency might not be able to quit, too—because they are way too happy.

= happiness is the goal.

Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.

In My Business, I Look at the Next 10 Years Because I Have To

Don’t Miss the Next Big Franchise Story

Nick Powills

More Articles Like This