Tom Frazer, cofounder of media agency Half Dome, justed named by Deloitte as Australia’s fastest growing tech company, has advice for those wanting extreme growth.
The first is to set clear goals and timelines.
"There are hundreds of things you could be doing every day; clear goals will help you focus. We’ve only started doing this recently and it’s made a big difference," he says.
"Invest in the training, development and wellbeing of your people. It’s a cliché, but we truly believe a business is only as good as its people. Focus on keeping them happy and have a process around what to do if they are not.
"Don’t go into business with your brother and best friend. We are still all close friends, but I wouldn’t recommend it."
The agency grew revenue by 2390% over three years, with clients including retailer The Good Guys, lawyers Maurice Blackburn and bookmaker BetEasy.
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia, now in its 20th year, ranks the fastest growing technology companies in Australia, with a minimum cumulative revenue of $8 million over a three-year period.
Half Dome's stated purpose is to realise the power of marketing to transform businesses.
"We bring this to life through the concept of “Full Thinking”, activating all paid media channels under one roof, which allows for holistic planning and optimisation," says Frazer.
"We want to change how media is viewed from being a cost-saving metric, to a value add – and deliver on this promise through honesty and transparency, acting more like an advisor and less like an agency."
Half Dome survived the pandemic but like most initially thought the world was ending.
"But we decided early to back our people and our clients," says Frazer. "We had honest conversations and worked together to face our collective problems.
"Ultimately, our people have been key to our success. We were transparent with them at the start of the pandemic and said: ‘let’s get through this together’ and we have. We’ve doubled down on investing in them; having hired a People and Culture lead and increasing our investment in training.
"It also hasn’t been complete doom and gloom for some industries this year, and we have experienced organic growth as some of our clients have continued to grow through this year, and ultimately, we’ve grown with them.
"Most importantly, we have not rested on our laurels - we have strong growth aspirations, in particular to make waves in the Australian market over the next several years. Not by being the largest agency, but definitely the smartest."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.