On March 30th 2016, Function Point Productivity Software launched its inaugural webinar—The New Age of Niche: What Your Creative Agency Can Learn from the Startup Space—of a series featuring experts in the creative agency industry. On the intention of the webinar series, Chris Wilson, Founder & CEO of Function Point said, “Our mission is to help creative thinkers be more productive and profitable, and to help them achieve their own goals. We came up with the idea of producing a webinar series, led by industry professionals, as a great way to connect agencies online and share industry best practices.”
The first webinar was hosted by Wilson, and featured Steve Haak, VP Partner – Strategy & UX, Solid State Pros, who gave an hour-long presentation and Q&A session to ad agency and design studio professionals. As a veteran of large Tier 1 ad agencies and a co-founder and partner of the member-owned digital agency Solid State Pros, Haak offered insight into the transforming creative agency industry, the benefits of carving out a niche in the market, challenges unique to the startup client, and ways in which agencies can enter the startup space.
“We were really pleased by the high turnout for the first webinar,” said Wilson. “It clearly demonstrates the need to have a forum where creatives can gather and learn from each other. The relevance and importance of the subject matter drew numbers too,” he added. “It’s a highly competitive industry, and finding a market niche agencies appeal to and excel in, can result in many benefits.” The topic was one that Function Point is intimately familiar with. As a cloud-based, SaaS provider, the company has focused on a niche in the marketplace by developing project resource management software specifically for creative agencies, design studios and internal marketing departments.
In the webinar, Haak spoke about how the digital landscape shifted between 2001 and 2010; with the introduction of multiplayer games, mobile, and new delivery models, the face of internet agencies and brands changed. Markets matured. Big agencies rolled up smaller agencies, and the most innovative work was hard to deliver in a new world that was hungry for originality, and demanded lightning-quick turnaround. “Many senior leaders and strategists would leave and start their own agencies,” said Haak. “They missed the excitement and creative energy they could bring.” Haak detailed how his experience with Solid State Pros, which was founded in 2010 and relaunched in 2014, has excelled as a boutique agency engaging with startups – an overlooked and underserved niche. Now Solid State Pros has equity in four startups, and will be partnering with 20 more in the upcoming year.
Haak noted that although working with startups comes with its share of challenges—in that they require a lot of effort and more guidance than a big brand client familiar with the agency process—they are also a lot of fun. Startups are very energetic, diverse, and you get to work with a small, passionate team that can, and needs to, pivot very quickly. Agencies can negotiate a mix of deferred compensation in the form of equity and a seat on the startup’s board, and still be paid for some of their hourly work. Operating in the niche of the startup space has led Solid State Pros to create a proprietary software solution and tool called vett.cloud, which helps investors evaluate and vet startup products and ideas. Finally, Haak talked about ways for agencies to break into the startup space and places to find and meet startups.
Function Point Productivity Inc.’s first webinar The New Age of Niche: What Your Creative Agency Can Learn from the Startup Space is now available to watch online at PRWeb.com. Stay tuned for details on the next Function Point Industry Expert webinar.
About Solid State Pros
Our strategists and business analysts are experts in research, business, marketing and new product development. With experience in advertising agencies, internet agencies, technology firms, and startups (from dotcoms to mobile apps) spanning many verticals, we can assess a product, business, or idea, and develop a solid strategy and executable plan to help it succeed.
For more information about the company and the services Solid State Pros offers, please visit http://www.solidstatepros.com
For more information about their new startup vetting product, vett.cloud, please visit
https://vett.cloud
CONTACT:
Steve Haak
Solid State Pros
206 407 9689
steve(at)solidstatepros(dot)com
solidstatepros.com
About Function Point Productivity Software Inc.
Function Point Productivity Software is the leading all-in-one project management solution specially designed for ad agencies, design studios and internal marketing departments who are looking to streamline their business. Our integrated software combines project management, time tracking, CRM, financial, and business reporting tools in one convenient cloud based system. Easy, effective, and efficient — do more with Function Point.
For more information about the company and the services Function Point offers, please visit http://www.functionpoint.com
CONTACT:
Jehanne Burns
Function Point Productivity Software
604 731 2522 x223
functionpoint.com
