How do you grow from 6 to 1000 people? From £0 to £232 in revenue? When is it time to step down as CEO?

Steve Bell, former Iris Co-Founder, and now CEO at Team17 Group managed over 1000 employees in 14 offices around the world and oversaw Iris' work with some of the biggest, most creatively driven and technologically advanced global brands. 

Here is what we covered in the second episode of Agency Growth Stories with Steve: 

00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Steve Bell? 

00:02:56 - Fire Round Questions

00:11:50 - Iris’ Early Days and Fast Growth

00:16:14 - Culture over Money: Creating Meaningful Equity & Working with the Right Clients at Iris 

00:21:35 - Multiple Founder Dynamic and Hierarchies  

00:24:50 - Scaling Iris Globally & Tough Wake Up Calls

00:34:00 - Maturing Iris, Outside Investments, Mergers & Acquisitions

00:59:00 - Stepping Down as Founder and Becoming a CEO at Team17

01:04:50 - How Should You Start an Agency in 2024?

01:09:00 - The Future of Creative Consulting Services in the Age of AI

01:11:24 - Determining Who to Work With in the Early Days

01:13:45 - How to Keep & Grow Clients 

01:18:25 - Pitching & Winning Business

01:22:18 - Last Words

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