Award-Winning Advertising Agency - The Idea Integration

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in digital marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Saul Colt, Founder & Creative Director of The Idea Integration Co. Inc., located in Toronto/New York, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

The Idea Integration Co is a non-traditional boutique marketing and advertising agency specializing in messaging, storytelling, branded content, edgy marketing stunts, and advertising campaigns. We work with brave brands and brands that want to be brave in the startup, financial services, and consumer goods space.

Tell us about yourself

I started The Idea Integration Co in 2008 because I saw that brands needed to stand out and be bolder because consumer attention spans were getting shorter. Our company has always been about pushing the envelope in a good way to create positive opportunities for our clients. This is what keeps me going, creating memorable work and experiences for our clients that people talk about and sometimes scratch their heads and say, "did you see that?"

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our team and our work. This is our differentiator. Our team comprises alumni from Mad Magazine, Disney, The Simpsons, Meta, and The Wall Street Journal, and that is what makes us great.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

For me, it is sales and time management. When I started, I struggled with executive function. It has taken me years to learn to be organized and on top of things, and I still fall down sometimes. In my first year, I would attend every event I could and meet people who had real opportunities that we could work together on, but I would lose the card or take two weeks to follow up. No Follow-up or late follow-ups are bad form and set an expectation. I do all my follow-ups in bed the night of the meeting while everything is fresh in my mind, and I make sure I put follow-ups in my calendar. When I started to schedule my follow-up, it helped me close deals and develop a better relationship with my clients. I still don't like selling. I wish I could work on cool projects for free and not have budgets get in the way of a close, but my team and I needed to eat and pay bills, so I had to learn to sell. Sales are the lifeblood of any organization. Learn your offering, what makes you unique, why people should work with you and no one else, and most importantly, don't be shy to ask for the close. "Are we going to do this?"

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Be The Best In The World At A Small Thing. Early in my career, I decided I never wanted to be a generalist and instead wanted to be the best in the world with a small skill set. For me, it was word of mouth and creative marketing. Going deep instead of wide means I would be the first and hopefully only person you think of when you need what I am offering. By adopting this approach, I established myself as a leader in this space and was regularly called for media quotes and appearances on my topics. The more exposure I got personally helped the company, and when you add the fact that when I had media attention, I usually gave memorable and sometimes inappropriate responses, it just grew the myth about working with me. I live my brand, which has been one reason I have been able to stay somewhat relevant. Staying relevant is as hard as keeping a business going.
2. Success Is Imaginary. I have never felt like we are successful. This has nothing to do with wanting more, but rather anything we accomplished has been hard, and as a company, we celebrate projects but don't really believe our own BS because we know it can all end anytime. That may sound dark, but one of our company values is to enjoy the moment and have fun but remember that we are all going to die. OK, that may not be the actual value but the spirit for sure.
3. Manage Your Time. Days are long, weeks are short, and years are shorter. The best thing I ever did for my business was live by my calendar. I work from Sunday to Thursday on client work or whatever needs to be done. I keep it open for cold or warm pitching on Fridays, and on Saturdays, I watch movies and sleep. It may not sound very sexy, but that is kinda what running your own business looks like. Your time is important, and developing a schedule is key to not burning out.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.theideaintegration.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saulcolt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saulcolt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saulcolt/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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