This week, we’re handing the blog over to Strut Co-founders Chris and Ed, who’s passion for helping businesses establish a clearly defined brand and strategy is evident from their enthusiasm, as well as their client feedback. Read more from the dynamic duo in this two-part blog!
How it all began…
We (Chris Hawkes and Ed Lopez) founded Strut in 2016, with a shared vision to provide the Highlands with a digital agency that offered a level of service we felt was lacking at the time… but our story doesn’t actually start here.
Our professional paths first crossed in the early 2000’s, when fresh out of education, we worked together at a previous web design agency. From client feedback, we found that what they valued the most was our passion for their business and willingness to deeply understand their goals, which helped us act as a trusted guide between what was needed and what was actually possible, at least given the technology at the time.
Similar themes arose, and we came across the same issues time and time again…
- A poorly defined strategy with poor brand execution.
- A well-defined strategy with poor brand execution.
So, in 2016 after working in other roles, we felt the time was right to establish our own agency together and Strut was born. We made it our mission to ensure that every client we worked with would have both a strong and clearly defined strategy in tandem with a well-executed brand application.
This balanced approach of logic and magic is at the heart of everything we do at Strut. In fact, this essence is captured in our tagline and first brand value: “Don’t walk, Strut”, which was derived from our trueline, “When others talk the talk but can’t always walk the walk, we Strut.” The last part is a reminder that we go that extra mile, to “strut”, that is to keep moving forward with a confident spring in your step.
We are now an established creative agency offering a range of end-to-end brand, design and digital services. Our goal is always to deliver the best solution for our clients, whether that is working alone or partnering with other agencies and individuals who provide complimentary services.
Our head office is at the Green House at Inshes, which is a fantastic place to call home. The building itself is very modern and creates a great impression on our visiting clients, but there is also a strong sense of community with the other businesses based there. We have a team of 9 and a varied client list from fresh-faced startups to long established brands that span a broad range of industries across both the public and private sector.
Meet Chris Hawkes
I am the Co-founder and CEO at Strut. As is the case in many small businesses, that role does require me to wear a number of hats. So, as well as the overall running of the company I am responsible for scoping out new commercial opportunities and winning new clients. I’ll often find myself responding to a tender or creating the specification for a new piece of work.
I am also heavily involved in the management of key client accounts. I think that is one area where Strut looks to add value, in that myself and Ed actively maintain those client relationships and continue to input into our journey together to ensure the original vision is not lost.
Away from work, I’ve a busy family life with two young children, but when I get the chance I can be found out on my mountain bike, or during the winter, hitting the slopes on my snowboard.
Meet Ed Lopez
I am the Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer (CBO) at Strut. CBO is a relatively new and unfamiliar title. We have all heard of the CEO, COO or even CFO but given the nature of our business, we felt it was important to include a CBO in our structure. Traditionally the role of brand falls under either the CEO or perhaps the Marketing Manager, but it is a role that leans heavily on character traits like intuition, emotion, creativity and visualisation that are common with creative thinkers. A classic example of a CEO who was in truth acting as a CBO is Steve Jobs, as he left the numbers to someone else whilst acting as a true visionary to deliver Apple’s innovative products.
My role as CBO is to oversee every brand decision and ensure that everything we do is in line with our purpose, values and vision for our company. I use this same approach with client brands. I also provide creative direction to our team, although they are very talented and I find myself having to do this less and less these days.
Away from the office/studio, I (sadly) enjoy listening to brand audiobooks and podcasts, reading, I enjoy time with my family, Art and design, Jiu-Jitsu, cooking and socialising.
Whilst we have complimentary character traits, we also have huge overlaps and respect for each other’s points of view (which we both often adopt or merge as our own). It has been the winning formula for our partnership over the years.