We sit down with Jennifer Davidson, the founding father of Smooth, a number one expertise advertising company based mostly in London with a worldwide consumer base.
Recognized for delivering fascinating, immersive occasions that problem norms and encourage change, Davidson shares the journey behind launching Smooth and discusses the company’s core mission to create significant connections by expertly crafted reside experiences. From the motivations that sparked the creation of the company, to the values that form its tradition and the progressive method to consumer collaboration, Davidson affords a glimpse into what units Smooth aside in a aggressive trade.
I’m the founding father of Smooth, a full-service expertise advertising company based mostly in London that works with shoppers globally.
We’re recognized for our skill to create actual moments that captivate audiences, problem norms, and encourage change. We pleasure ourselves on serving as strategic companions for our shoppers, crafting experiences that depart lasting impressions and creating genuine connections, evoking real feelings, and delivering impactful occasions.
What’s the essential drawback you resolve in your prospects?
We perceive the significance of forming significant connections, and we consider that well-crafted occasions can deal with this want successfully. Our method includes a deep dive right into a consumer’s technique, values, and goals to design moments that really resonate with audiences and safe tangible outcomes. Via our complete experiential advertising companies, we create immersive reside experiences that captivate audiences, develop compelling model narratives, and produce partaking content material.
What made you begin your online business – did you wish to rock the established order, or was it a spot within the market that you would fill?
It’s arduous to consider it’s been over a decade since I began Smooth. In all honesty I did wish to rock the established order to convey a recent perspective to company life. Earlier than taking the leap into company possession, I spent years as a freelancer, working with numerous manufacturers and companies. Throughout this time, I encountered a major hole within the trade: a scarcity of transparency and real communication. Purchasers and companies typically spoke in code, and workers welfare and progress appeared secondary to only getting the job executed.
What are your model values?
Respect – That is the muse of every division. We respect our shoppers’ companies, together with model values, working kinds, processes and budgets and importantly ourselves and our colleagues.
Versatile – It’s vital for us that we tailor our service to your necessities and finances with assured excessive commonplace, irrespective of the scale of the occasion. Our shoppers all the time recognize our flexibility.
Massive Hearted – We pleasure ourselves as being pleasant, approachable and dependable, with everybody from shoppers to companions and suppliers.
Resourceful – We like to be challenged and received’t relaxation till we’ve discovered what you’re searching for. We’re all the time open to pondering otherwise; from areas and budgets to goals and timings. Nothing’s an excessive amount of bother. No thought is simply too massive and no request is simply too quirky. If there’s a means, we’ll discover it.
Do your values outline your determination making course of?
Completely, our values are central to our decision-making course of. We prioritise working with shoppers who share our values as a result of they play an important position in sustaining our group’s well-being and fostering a constructive firm tradition. We search partnerships with shoppers who perceive the true position of an company and are desirous about rising collectively, slightly than simply partaking in one-off initiatives.
Is group tradition integral to your online business?
Constructing a tradition of inclusivity, transparency, and gender equality has all the time been my high precedence. It’s not simply concerning the backside line; it’s about empowering the group. I’ve created a way of possession. With a concentrate on work-life stability, equal pay, and initiatives supporting girls’s well being, we’ve fostered an surroundings the place everybody feels valued and empowered. Our most up-to-date worker engagement rating of 86% speaks for itself.
What do you do to go the additional mile to indicate your group you recognize them?
Doing the naked minimal to be an equal employer was by no means an choice for me and I needed to deal with particular issues that I do know staff face.
I’m so proud that we now have a complete suite of insurance policies and initiatives in place that put worker wellbeing at each life stage into central focus. This actually helps foster a tradition of inclusivity and transparency. Listed here are some key examples:
Revenue Sharing: Smooth ties a portion of income to worker efficiency, additional incentivising success and a shared monetary stake.
Work-life Stability: Beneficiant parental depart insurance policies exceed authorized necessities, recognising the very important position dad and mom play.
Equal Pay: Clear wage bands guarantee equal pay for equal work no matter gender. Bonuses are awarded based mostly on clear standards, fostering accountability and making certain girls are rewarded pretty.
Gender Equality Initiatives:
Girls in Management positions:
Girls’s Well being & Wellbeing: Programmes particularly deal with challenges confronted by girls, together with menopause and different well being situations.
By way of your messaging do you assume you speak on to your customers in a transparent trend?
Sure, we consider our messaging speaks instantly and clearly to our customers. We lately underwent a ‘Sleek Evolution’, which allowed us to refine our method to make sure that our communication is easy and freed from pointless jargon. Our purpose is for guests to grasp what we provide as quickly as they land on our web site.
What’s your tackle inflation and rates of interest – are you going to go that on to your prospects or let your margins take a success and reward buyer loyalty in these more durable occasions?
We all the time attempt to stay aggressive with our pricing, however pleasure ourselves on being honest throughout the board. Having this method could imply a clear dialog would want to occur about how that impacts charges. As with all companies now we have to maneuver with the occasions and do what we have to to guard these we pay a wage to.
How typically do you assess the information you pull in and deal with your KPIs and why?
Typically. Each eight weeks we meet as a board the place every division experiences on their KPIs. This all ladders as much as our enterprise technique and targets. However no matter conferences, we assess these knowledge factors every day to make sure readability on all metrics. I consider that is why we’ve been in a position to construct the success now we have as far as we’re very focussed on making certain readability with our targets.
Is tech taking part in a a lot bigger half in your day-to-day working of your organization?
Sure, I feel naturally it’s the way in which the world is shifting and as a service-based firm with international shoppers, tech is a software now we have to utilise. It additionally permits us to seek out extra environment friendly methods of working although which in the end advantages the shoppers backside line. We additionally adapt to our shoppers wants so will typically be utilizing totally different types of tech for collaborative working. We now have an inquisitive group who’re all the time bringing concepts and new tech to the desk to tell everybody.
What’s your perspective to your rivals?
There’s a nice quote by Henry Ford that sums this up: ‘The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time.’
Our purpose is to stay centered on us and never be distracted by our rivals. We purpose to create higher work this week than we did final week, and make this month higher than final month – for no different motive however to constantly elevate the bar.
Do you could have any recommendation for anybody beginning out in enterprise?
Success wasn’t one thing I ever anticipated, and the sentiments of doubt have been a continuing companion. Nonetheless, my internal ideas of “you can’t” solely fuelled my hearth. The reality is anybody can obtain something they set their thoughts to. Our talents aren’t outlined by something aside from the idea in ourselves. We must always all the time look to indicate up with confidence and take into account that each failure presents the chance to be taught, and the tougher we work, the nearer we get to proving the doubters flawed.
It may be a lonely and pressured place to be because the lead determination maker of the enterprise. What do you do to loosen up, recharge and hone your focus?
To loosen up, recharge, and preserve focus, I prioritise a number of key practices. I take Fridays off to make sure I’ve time to unwind and replicate, in addition to spend time with my younger son and husband. I additionally make it a degree to train recurrently, which helps me keep energised and clear-headed.
Mornings are my private time for quiet reflection; I get up early to learn, journal, and revel in some peaceable headspace, which units a constructive tone for the day. I cherish time spent with household and buddies, particularly after we get away to the coast, because it offers a refreshing break from routine.
Moreover, I put money into steady studying and enchancment by utilizing a wide range of coaches over time. I hearken to podcasts within the automotive and skim books, which helps me loosen up away from screens. These practices are important for sustaining my well-being and sharpening my focus.
Do you consider within the 12 week work methodology or do you make for much longer planning methods?
We are likely to plan on an annual foundation, however we be sure that progress is reported on month-to-month. This method permits us to stay agile, enabling us to rapidly determine any points and make vital changes to our technique. By recurrently reviewing our efficiency, we will refine our method in real-time and keep on monitor to realize our targets.
I don’t assume there’s a proper or flawed approach to method technique planning – in the end it’s right down to what works for the enterprise, trade they’re in and the folks doing the doing
What’s your organization’s sustainability technique?
This 12 months, we teamed up with The Bulb to create our sustainability technique. We’re taking a step-by-step method, beginning by measuring our environmental footprint after which constructing a plan centered on folks, planet, and partnerships. I’m dedicated to equipping our group with the instruments and information they should make a distinction.
What three issues do you hope to have in place inside the subsequent 12 months?
Launched the Smooth Academy – We wish to take our studying and growth programme to a different degree by partaking an exterior ambassador to formulate extra structured coaching and growth which we can have badges and certificates for. The last word purpose is to make it an academically accredited course.
Totally execute the Smooth Evolution – We lately introduced we have been evolving and changing into a full-service expertise advertising company which expanded our service choices and bolstered our dedication to create genuine and memorable experiences. This evolution will proceed to roll out as we implement these new companies and choices to make sure our consumer’s get entry to the very best occasion outcomes.
Nailed 12 months 1 of our 3 12 months technique – Our firm 12 months begins on the first August so we wish to guarantee we’re nailing this and stepping into the rhythm of our technique throughout the board as we’ve simply kicked off our new 12 months!
