Chris is a co-founder and Director of Harkable. Previous to starting Harkable, he was an online marketing and social media consultant who helped both large corporations and start-ups on their digital strategy. Chris also held an Online Marketing Manager position at social network Myspace in the UK where he was responsible for marketing content & product across all digital marketing channels. Before Myspace, he worked at an independent music label in promotions and licensing.
G: Tell us about your business(-es): What do you do? What did inspire you to start? What is your unique selling point/competitive advantage compare to competitors?
Harkable is a creative digital agency that combines creative, social ideas with smart technology. We help our clients navigate the social media landscape and turn it to their advantage, through our team’s unique expertise and the tools we build. We started Harkable to not only help companies and brands get more out of the web, social media and mobile but also to enjoy the challenge of these ever evolving mediums, trying new things and (with a risk of sounding corny) making a difference to a business and the people involved.
G: What are the main challenges maintaining your business and how are you overcoming them?
I think digital marketing and particularly social media is still in its infancy, where people are using Facebook & Twitter for their business but are starting to ask why they are and what are they getting out of it. We have constant conversations with our clients to help them define a value to a strategy or campaign idea. Particularly with social media, every business is trying to attribute a value to a fan or follower as they would for other digital marketing channels so we work hard at helping companies value their marketing efforts and to demonstrate that return on investment. This is where our technology tools play a huge part in our offering, to help businesses understand the value of an engaged customer.
G: What would you say has been your most memorable experience while developing your business? What were the most successful or unique projects?
One of the many highlights so far was when we persuaded the Daily Mirror to run an interactive live web-chat with their football writer and ex-footballer turned pundit Robbie Savage. Seeing a heritage brand like the Mirror take a huge leap into live online video was a great moment, and a lot of fun to do for both us and the client.
G: What were the funniest moments that happened while setting up/running your business?
There are many funny moments that have occurred since we’ve started the business but unfortunately the funniest are ones that I’m unable to share publicly!
G: Why do you choose Shoreditch to run your business?
Shoreditch has lots of great attributes for locating a business like ours – it’s easy to get to, the rents are reasonable, there’s a strong creative feel about the area, many events & meetups, and some amazing places to get a coffee or lunch or a well-earned beer after work.
G: Tell us about DO’s and DON’Ts when running the company?
DO’s:
Be passionate about what you do. It takes a lot of time and effort to start and run a business, and this is made much easier if its in an industry or product you have a love for. Put the right team around you. In a small team everyone has to stand up and be counted, and its crucial to have the right blend of skills to help you grow. Keep your eye on where you are going or the bigger picture. You can lose sight of this when dealing when answering emails, phone calls and running around to meetings. Have a firm grip on your finances as this shows how healthy the business really is. Make sure that you review the numbers regularly.
DONT’S:
Be too rigid. Allow for your business to evolve by tweaking your strategy as you go. There’s no such thing as a 100% accurate business plan. Try to do it all yourself. Bring in people and skills to help you. Walk around without any business cards. New opportunities pop up anywhere and it’s always handy to have a card ready to give to somebody.
G: Who/what are your favorite CEOs/Businesses in Shoreditch?
Songkick and CEO Ian Hogarth are a fantastic example of a Shoreditch start-up – I use their product (a tool to track gigs of your favourite bands) all the time, and they also were the first UK company to receive investment from renowned US-based VC’s Sequoia Capital. I’m also a fan of music-sharing site Soundcloud who have an office in Shoreditch but are based in Berlin, and also our former neighbours Pusher – a hosted API for quickly scaling realtime functionality to web and mobile apps – who are very friendly and great guys.
G: What are your favorite places in Shoreditch? (Where do you hang-out/ dining/ going out?)
Albion – nice coffee and huge croissants! The book club – anywhere you can get nice food and play table tennis is always a winner. Strongrooms – nice friendly place for lunch and a beer, especially when you can sit outside.
G: What does the future has in store for Shoreditch?
I hope it retains its identity as a unique part of London and doesn’t suffer from popularity as property developers attempt to cash in. Also, it’s a positive thing for small businesses to have a hub like ‘the silicon roundabout’ as the attention in the media may go a little way in putting start-ups on the agenda politically.
