Naeem Alvi is the Founder and MD of the award-winning branding agency Notepad. Based in Birmingham, and operating globally, Notepad deliver crystal-clear brand strategy and jaw-dropping creativity to make brands unbeatable.
- Tell us a little bit about your business…
Notepad is a brand strategy and design agency. Over the past 3 years we’ve grown to a full-time team of ten creatives and strategists. We specialise in helping ambitious tech companies to define and build their brands into market-leaders.
- How did you get into the industry?
I started my career in marketing over a decade ago as a copywriter for various advertising agencies across Oxford, Birmingham and London. I’ve always had a passion for writing and find human behaviour fascinating so a career in marketing was a natural fit.
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
One of my founding motivations in setting up my own agency was to show the industry that it’s possible to built a profitable studio which still provides great work life balance, and long-term career opportunities. While we still have a great studio space in Birmingham, we’ve offered the options of remote and flexible working from day 1. The pandemic has shown our industry this is totally possible and embracing a hybrid way of working going forward will open up tonnes of opportunity for the industry.
- How would you describe your leadership style?
In a word, I’d say empathetic. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of agency world and I know what makes a great agency culture. As a leader, I’ve always believed I serve my staff, not the other way around.
- How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
In my experience, trust is the biggest driver of productivity and creativity. If trust flows both ways, people feel empowered to do a great job. My approach to hiring has always been to hire incredibly talented people and then get out of their way.
- What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
Having strong systems in place is absolutely vital. By that I mean clear processes and checklists across all areas of the business. This allows things to run without you, and helps everyone to make their own decisions.
- How has the past 12 months been for you?
As with every business, we’ve faced big challenges through the pandemic. When lockdown started 80% of our work was put on hold but through innovating our service model and sheer hard work we’ve kept the business profitable and growing. I feel very fortunate to say we’ve just had a record-breaking quarter, and we’re on track to top that this quarter.
- Is there anything you’ve learnt during the pandemic that you’ll take forward in your business?
While we’ve always encouraged remote working, before the pandemic we spent a lot of time commuting across the country to see our clients in person. While this is sometimes vital, we’ve definitely found most meetings can be done virtually, which saves time and is better for the planet.
- What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
We’re scaling up right now. If all goes to plan we’re aiming for 150% growth in the next 12 months which means making a range of new hires and relocating to a bigger studio. Feels a bit mad to be saying that right now but it’s all very exciting.
- What are the highlights of your career so far?
My biggest highlight has been growing Notepad over the past 3 years from just me working in my bedroom on a laptop to an agency which is on track to break through the million revenue mark in the next 12 months. Count myself incredibly lucky to say that.
- What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
Trying to be all things to all people doesn’t work. As we’ve grown Notepad we’ve really paired back our service offering to only do things that we’re really good at, with businesses that fit our sweet spot (Growing tech companies).
- What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Never be afraid to ask for help.
