Managing Director and owner of Cuckoo Design, Justine Wright has spent nearly three decades building a design, branding and digital agency that works with both local and multinational clients. Her story shows how a female leader can buy, rebrand and grow a creative business in one of the UK’s fastest-moving sectors.
As the head of an innovative design agency, staying ahead of digital change has been the key to our success. That was especially true in the early years, during the digital revolution, when the business — then called Walsh Simmons — worked on some of the first commercial websites, including the origination and development of LateRooms.com.
Today, the industry is completely different from the one I walked into nearly thirty years ago. The UK’s digital industries are estimated to contribute more than £150 billion to the economy each year and employ over 1.6 million people. Yet our values remain the same, and leading this team as we discover what’s next, together, is still exciting.
Starting out
I joined the agency, then called Walsh Simmons, in 1995 as a young and enthusiastic client service manager. I had not been to university; instead, I worked my way up to achieve my goals.
Throughout my first ten years I worked closely with the then owner and entrepreneur Steve Walsh, helping him build the business. He was very successful, and in 2005 he decided to retire — offering me the chance to buy the agency for £1 million.
Always one to take a risk, I seized the opportunity. I had always wanted to run my own business and had every faith in my ability. Yet even at the start I knew it would be more complicated than simply keeping an already thriving agency going.
For the previous five years, Walsh Simmons had concentrated on building Steve Walsh’s most successful dotcom, LateRooms, which he sold in 2004 for more than £20 million. That meant there was very little left of the traditional design and website agency I had joined years before.
That did not put me off: I had a vision. I knew what the agency was capable of turning over, and I knew that with the right team I could replicate its accomplishments under Walsh’s leadership once again.
The formula for a great agency
To make my vision a reality, I needed to start afresh and look at how my design and digital agency was going to reach the heady heights I had set out.
The formula for a successful agency is simple: a great client list and one incredible team.
I tackled the client list first and set about a strategy to develop the few long-serving clients we had, including QMH Hotels and The Co-operative Bank, and to win new clients. Both of which we achieved within 18 months.
At that stage we had increased turnover by £300,000 and were in a position to put plan B into place. So in 2008 we re-branded to Cuckoo Design and celebrated the success with a party at the rooftop garden of Great John Street Hotel in Manchester. A very proud moment for me and all of my team.
Facing challenges head on
I love being at the head of my own agency; to me it means pouring everything into making Cuckoo Design the best it can possibly be, because it is a reflection of me and the rest of my team. However, I have never taken for granted that this means I am responsible for getting the agency through the rough as well as the smooth.
This is something that all budding entrepreneurs should bear in mind when guiding their business to success. Here are a few of my own hard-earned lessons for women who have set out to achieve great things in the digital industry:
- Take risks when your instinct tells you it’s the right thing to do — there have been times as MD and owner that disasters have been thrown in my path, and it has been difficult to see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. However, I have never doubted my initial instinct to make Cuckoo Design my own — hard work and perseverance will always win out when you put your mind to the task.
- Surround yourself with incredible people — having the right team around you is the difference between success and getting by. Talented people flourish when together, so imagine what you could achieve by investing in fantastic digital minds early on?
- Look forward to stay ahead of the game — digital is fast paced and is not an industry that you can ever afford to fall behind in. Read blogs from other professionals who do what you do and ensure you are always inspired to push boundaries, while using your own experience and imagination to progress.
The digital future
It seems bizarre to look back now at how forward thinking we were to be so heavily involved in digital nearly thirty years ago, before the world had fully got to grips with the internet as a tool to use with any regularity, let alone a space to boost your business’s profile. My team saw the potential for big things, which is what made us unique then, and continues to do so as we embrace advancements in technology while encouraging our clients to do the same.
That’s the next step for Cuckoo Design and the digital market: passing our confidence in digitally-led campaigns on to our clients. As artificial intelligence, data-driven design and immersive online experiences reshape the creative sector, agencies that can guide clients through change are the ones most likely to thrive.
For women considering a similar path, my career shows that formal qualifications are not the only route to owning and leading a successful agency. A clear vision, a willingness to take calculated risks and a strong team can be just as valuable.
Explore more advice for women in business and resources for growing your creative business.
