How Four Friends Found the Courage to Launch Their Own Agency
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Courage. That’s what Niki Sahni, Dhaval Bhattand Joel Holtby demonstrated when they left their positions in the senior leadership fold of Rethink, and decided to undertake a new endeavour. In tumultuous times, it took a mixture of desire, determination, and as Dhaval says, ‘fate’ to take the plunge and launch something new. But several months later, this decision seems to have paid off. Partnered with No Fixed Address - North America’s fastest growing independent agency collective - these three have been joined by former Ogilvy CSO Tom Kenny, and have started to make waves with their aptly named agency: Courage.
Thus far, the future seems bright for the new agency. Courage has already landed Canadian banking corporation CIBC, and just recently, launched its first campaign, in partnership with Nescafé, following a production which had the team travelling all over the world on for the global brand.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Niki (president), Dhaval and Joel (CCOs), and Tom (CSO) to discuss the first few months since launch, why they’ve taken on this endeavour, and the teamwork that makes Courage tick.
LBB> Let’s talk about how Courage got started. You’ve only been around for a few months and you’re already making waves! Where did the idea for Courage come from, and what have the first few months been like?
Dhaval> Frankly, I feel like Courage has been in the works since the day we got into the business. It was always an ambition to one day have our own agency, and while over the years all of us were on our own separate journeys, it seems we were always looking for the right people and circumstances to band up in our shared goal of building something we all believe in. Guess you can say Courage was born from desire, determination and fate.
LBB> Joel, Dhaval and Niki, you were all leaders at Rethink before this new pursuit. How long have you been working together for, and what inspired the change of scenery?
Joel> Niki and I met as young, bright-eyed ad people at Grip. Dhaval and I met at Rethink when he got there, and we worked very closely together for about five years. And over the years, Tom, Dhaval and I have had multiple separate conversations about us working together in some way shape or form.
Dhaval> I had talked about doing something on our own about three years ago, but then never really talked about it until just a few months before announcing Courage. Like anything in life, the birth of Courage was a function of the right people coming together at the right time.
Niki> I think the biggest thing that we have going for us as a team is the mutual trust and respect we have for each other. Some of it comes from having spent time in the trenches together, but a lot of it has simply to do with the fact that we just like each other as people.
LBB> Where did the name Courage come from? What does it mean to you as leaders?
Dhaval> Anyone that tells you naming an agency is like naming a child is lying to you. It’s much, much harder. After all, when you’re naming your child, you don’t have lawyers telling you that you can’t trademark it, or that the name is already taken… you just name it what you like. Courage was one of those names that we knew right away was the one. We wanted our agency’s name to convey to clients and our people the kind of work we’d like to do, and be something we’d have to live up to. It’s pressure, but we like that pressure. It keeps us honest.
LBB> Where are you trying to take Courage? What is the vision and how does it fit/make you unique in the wider Canadian ad scene?
Tom> Absolute world domination! Just kidding. Our vision for Courage is very simple. We want to keep doing work that takes courage, with people who have courage, for clients who want courage. We think that if we stick to this simple philosophy and focus on enjoying our work and keeping our people fulfilled and our clients happy, the rest will take care of itself.
LBB> Courage is backed by North America’s fastest growing independent agency collective, No Fixed Address Inc. Tell us about your relationship! What was the appeal of working with them, and what is the collaboration like?
Dhaval> Dave [Lafond], Serge [Rancourt, co-founders of NFA] and I go way back to the early days of No Fixed Address, and even before that. Over the years, we’d stayed in touch and had several conversations about the industry and how it was changing and evolving. It was during one such conversation that a pretty amazing ‘what if’ scenario came up of them backing us with starting something of our own. And that’s what got the ball rolling. Serge and Dave are incredible partners, because not only are they always there with sound advice and support when you need it, but they’re also steadfast in their belief of creativity as a force for driving business.
Niki> It’s been amazing to have access to all the things that we take for granted thanks to our relationship with No Fixed Address. Services like the finance team, IT, and HR - all those things that you don’t always think of but are key to the smooth functioning of any business from the jump. It’s what enabled us to focus most of our time and energy on what we do best: focusing on solving our clients' problems with amazing creativity.
LBB> What have the early months been like? Are there any valuable lessons learned or notable clients worked with? And do you have any major success stories you’d like to share?
Joel> The first few months have almost felt like a heist film, where the first little bit is all about assembling the crew of like-minded individuals with different skills and abilities. Now, we get to the fun part where we get to get down to the work and pull it off.
Dhaval> We truly have been so fortunate to have worked with some amazing global brands right out of the gate. The big news, obviously, is CIBC, and what a dream start it is to land a client of that stature this early in the game. As far as valuable lessons go, we definitely feel validated in our theory that you don't need to grind people into the ground to win big pitches or do great work. Our biggest success was when after a big pitch, our teams said that it was the best run pitch they’d been a part of. That felt good.
LBB> Is there a piece of work from the first few months that sticks out as being particularly important for you as an agency?
Niki> Courage’s very first production had us travelling literally all over the world for a beloved global brand, Nescafé. It’s crazy to think that’s our first piece of work and we were so excited to share it with the world last week. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.
LBB> What are the biggest factors behind Courage’s growth, and what have you done as leaders to facilitate this?
Tom> We truly believe that our growth comes from seeking out clients where the relationship is a good fit right from the beginning - not just for us and our teams at Courage, but also for the clients and their teams as well. We think of our clients as our biggest allies in our success, as opposed to a checkpoint in the process, or worse, a hurdle to be overcome. And I think our clients can feel that from the start when they talk to us. As owners of this agency, it is up to us to always remember what makes us different and not chase the wrong things. I imagine a relationship based on trust, honesty and clear communication will continue to be as desirable to our clients as it is to us.
LBB> How would you describe your leadership style? What does it bring to the table, and how does it compliment your fellow leaders’ styles?
Niki> I’ve only recently begun to define my leadership style, and the best I can come up with is that I try to meld my two favourite inspirational leaders: the cool, calm, collected, motivational leadership of Jean-Luc Picard, mixed with the never-take-yourself-too-seriously, show-must-go-on Kermit The Frog. I tend to take the pragmatic side of things, and am nicknamed ‘Niki Numbers’ for a reason - providing another lens to the incredibly creative (but also business-minded) brains of Dhaval, Joel, and Tom.
Joel> I’d say Dhaval and I are very much part of the lead by example school of thought. We’re definitely not afraid to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. It helps us stay grounded, understand the pain points of our teams, and frankly, helps us not be out of touch a-holes who just keep sending teams back and asking them to do more work.
LBB> How do you collaborate and share the work? Tell us about the teamwork that makes Courage tick!
Niki> I always want to respect the creative process and not insert myself too early. That being said, since my very first days of working with Dhaval and Joel, they’ve shared ideas way earlier with me than most other creative directors I’ve worked with - sometimes the day after a brief.
I try to look at creative from two perspectives. The first is ‘how can I leverage my knowledge of my client’s business in order to help this idea come to fruition?’. And secondly, there’s ‘how can I leverage my knowledge of the consumer or culture in order to help reinforce why this is a great idea?’. After that, it’s about honest discussion of what the idea is and why it’s right for the brief, removing any personal bias, and remembering that it’s OK to disagree!
Tom> I’ve often said that I’m the rare strategist that doesn’t really like strategy. I’m being a bit facetious when I say that, but what I mean is that I don’t like strategy for the sake of strategy. I see all strategy as in service of our creative output, so with that in mind, I try to work closely with my creative partners with every strategy I write. It also helps when you have partners who are as strategic as Dhaval, Joel and Niki. I’d happily steal ideas from any of them. Then, on the flipside, I tend to stick around in the creative process longer than most strategists. I think strategy plays an important role post creative brief, be it through jamming on ideas, helping to sell ideas, or helping to figure out the best way to send an idea into the world.
LBB> As a new agency, what challenges have you faced, and how have you, as a team, overcome them?
Niki> I think the biggest challenge has been trying to find an office space that’s right for the new way in which people are working. Our approach has been to observe our people and let them guide the way, and we’re happy to say that we’ve finally landed on what we believe will be the great home for Courage and its people.
LBB> What are your thoughts on the Canadian ad industry in general, at the moment?
Dhaval> I think that the Canadian ad scene is having a moment right now. I remember when I got into the business in Canada, there were all these agencies doing amazing work across the board. Agencies like Lowe Roche, Zig, Grip, Taxi, DDB, BBDO, Rethink, John St… I feel like we’re once again getting to a place where multiple agencies are starting to step up and answer the bell, and where creativity isn’t monopolised in one or two shops. I think that’s good for all our people, for our clients, and for the industry as a whole.
LBB> It’s great seeing all the new work coming out of Canada - which more and more frequently, makes it onto the world stage. But often, the country contends with smaller budgets than, say, the US. How does that factor into the way you work?
Joel> Canadians have always managed to punch above their weight. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that it’s not the size of the budget, it’s the size of the idea. In fact, sometimes the smaller budgets work in our favour, as clients know that they need to use the full power of creativity if they’re going to break through against the goliaths.
LBB> What do the coming months hold in store for you all, and the agency?
Niki> We have a few exciting projects on the go that we’re excited to share in the coming months. But above all, we’re looking forward to finding and collaborating with more people who want to lead with courage.
