[quote style=”boxed”] Every morning, I set 5 goals for the day, 2 main and 3 secondary – and usually I do not finish before having completed at least the two main ones.[/quote]
OUI Marketing’s President, David Proulx, had founded the firm with only $ 250 in 1999. Today, the firm is proudly deploying campaigns for local and international clients such as the British Consulate which picked OUI over 15 other agencies worldwide for the IELTS mandate. It has made a name for itself by becoming a specialist in international marketing strategies and market research – mostly thanks to its trademarked approach called Relevant Audacity™.
Where did the idea for Oui Marketing come from?
Alongside my studies I really wanted to grow my own marketing agency. The Quebec market was a very challenging market where bigger, and more established companies deployed sophisticated claims and USP to propose their services. But I was absolutely convinced that there was a place for an agency with a more rational positioning. The aim of marketing is ultimately to convince clients or consumers to say “yes”, and this is why I named my agency Oui Marketing (meaning “Yes Marketing”, in French).
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Every morning, I set 5 goals for the day, 2 main and 3 secondary – and usually I do not finish before having completed at least the two main ones. I also try to take maximum of distance from the flood of emails and optimize free time. I prefer reach people by phone in a car to save time or read books’ summaries for example.
How do you bring ideas to life?
To put ideas to life, one must certainly be a bit of a dreamer but you must agree to devote a lot of time: before and after. And once the implementation is complete, it is necessary to draw lessons to improve the approach to this idea and work upstream of the design. This is how we can create a circle of continuous learning.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
There is not one trend that excites me as much as humans’ tendency to forget. We often see old concepts back with new appearances, and it helps our job as marketers. You can’t reinvent the wheel, but you can make it much more interesting if you try hard enough.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
My ability to surround myself with the right people. You can’t be great at everything, but you hope to find people that complement you and build the strongest possible team.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
When I worked in my father’s garage. It was difficult, but I understood that there is no gain and no satisfaction without pain.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I would associate earlier in my career with the right people and complementary skills to mine.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
To reassess, over and over. Take a step back one in a while and try to be as objective as possible with what you see.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Our trademarked Relevant Audacity approach. We build allegiance through audacity and relevance. Go off the beaten path, but always maintain course. That’s the challenge. The audacity of standing out from the crowd, of improving the brand experience and generating affection towards it. That’s how we create momentum and it forever drives us. The relevance of being contemplative, precise and efficient, forever mindful of return on investment. What we do today, shapes tomorrow.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
In the case of a failure, one benefit we can draw is learning. I think that the right question is not how but when you will overcome. I might sound clichéd, but some of the best lessons entrepreneurs can get are the ones they remember after a failure. Get up, and try again. To overcome a failure or achieve your goal, get up and take 5 swings toward your goal, every single day.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Learning to learn.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
It can be more fun to work towards a goal than to actually achieve it. In a way it is like seduction – you get a welcome rush of adrenaline just when you are lacking sleep!
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
Mindjet, podcasts, Google services like Google Drive or Google Current.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be because it provides absolutely necessary business management principles.
An other one : Good to great, by Jim Collins
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
David Ogilvy
Salomon (The Bible Character)
Connect:
David Proulx on Linkedin:
OUI Marketing on Twitter: @Ouimarketing
OUI Marketing on Facebook:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.