Blue Sky Agency
"How can we evolve the agency from founder-led to founder-inspired and leave a lasting legacy?"
With a 28-year track record as the longest-running independent agency in Atlanta, Blue Sky’s founder wanted to secure a sustaining and valuable legacy for his partners and employees - to transition the agency from founder-led to founder-inspired.
Founder Rob Farinella and his partner, Annette Sally, needed a strategy to sustain and grow the business. And, more importantly, engagement and investment of a newly formed leadership team. Rob and Annette faced the question: How can we evolve the agency from founder-led to founder-inspired and leave a lasting legacy?
the challenge
Transitioning amid change: There is no perfect time to make a change. Blue Sky’s founder needed to shift the ownership structure of the agency while at the same time sustaining the business and staff through COVID and navigating a highly competitive talent market.
Building strategy and the team to deploy it: Blue Sky’s owners wanted to build a straw man strategy concurrently while also mobilizing a refreshed leadership team. After months spent recruiting, Rob and Annette needed to marshal their new leaders around a revamped and updated plan.
How Did We Do It?
Springboard Strategy believes that strategy should be done with organizations, not to them. We use a three-step framework to co-create a plan with the business owners that is unique and custom to the client’s needs.
Seasoned in operations, strategy, and facilitation, we rely heavily on interactive workshops to build plans with all organization levels. Investing in a strategic plan without alignment and buy-in throughout the experience is a waste of time and money.
What Did It Take?
Making space for strategy: Blue Sky’s owners expected a period of turmoil and turnover. While they assembled the right team, we met weekly to build a plan and navigate the transition. Through a set of structured assignments, Springboard facilitated the owners to develop strategies and engage the leaders.
Patience and timing: While the owners were eager to go to market with new agency positioning and branding quickly, they paused to think through strategy and curate the right team to deploy it.
Aligning the team: Springboard facilitated a workshop to gain clarity, feedback, and commitment, establish a cohesive team and bolster the plan. Together the new leaders stress-tested strategy reshaped choices and took ownership of execution plans.
Where are they now?
Blue Sky has built a solid three-year strategic plan to transition and grow the agency under a new extended leadership.
Learn more about Blue Sky Agency at www.blueskyagency.com