Back in 2012, my small press agency was getting some traction from its videos on Youtube. At a regular meeting, I declared that we would do whatever it took to become the number one channel in YouTube's news vertical.
Before long, instead of avoiding me, buyers were contacting me to find out what we were working on. The confidence I displayed by not pitching them meant they were genuinely interested in what we might be doing.
Coming into a world with an open mind and a blank sheet of paper allows you to question fundamental norms. You're not being held back by convention; you never have to say "but it's the way we've always done it". Getting excited about new worlds is infectious.
I don't know a single successful person that worked hard who didn't end up in a bad way at some point. But I've learned that the most successful people are careful with their time, and often do less hours that their peers.
I spent so many years in the creative peloton. Unsurprisingly, this didn't win me any medals. It was when I started new things that bucked convention that the world started to show interest.
