Let’s Work!

What were your teenage ambitions? I had two. 

Number one, become a ‘Master of Arts’. Why? Because teenage me thought it sounded sooo cool! Number two? Number two is more complicated. 

For years I’d convinced myself that this second ambition of mine, running my own business, was sparked by seeing my Dad retired off after 30 years with a fancy watch and a pat on the back. There I am, the hero in this imaginary origin story, fist held aloft shaking up at the heavens swearing that ‘as god is my witness’, I would stand or fall on my own efforts ALONE!

Except, that’s just a load of bull I told myself to feel good. The truth is that only one of those early ambitions was my own.

Strange Relationship

Fast forward 20 years from teenage me to thirty something me, in a London pub ( where else ? ) with my Dad. By then I had already fulfilled those teenage ambitions. I graduated Central St Martins age 27 with an MA in Fashion ( Print ). I set up Skew Studio a few years later, age 30 ish from a bedsit in Notting Hill, with a ￡5,000 loan and a borrowed Mac.

“Don’t you feel proud of me?”. Yes, it was painfully needy question. It was met with a puzzled look. He, my Dad, didn’t understand. He sipped his pint as a late summer sun struggled through the grimy bar windows. Still no answer. I need to pause here to tell you a bit about my dad. To know a little of who I am, not just what I do, you need to know where I come from. 

Pop Life

Dyer senior was born and orphaned in 1930’s London, raised from infancy in a home for unwanted boys in the West Midlands, fostered as an older child but never adopted. He left school age fifteen and talked, persuaded and charmed himself up from a milk round to successful businessman and (conservative) card carrying member of the swinging 60’s middle class. He was, is, a hugely gregarious extrovert.

So I followed, as sons do, his outgoing, assertive template of masculinity. I would out-extrovert that extrovert, out charm the old charmer and out party my Pappa. If there was work do be done I’d stay later, work harder and strive longer than he did. As Skew grew and I moved through design and art direction to business development and leadership I set out to schmooze, socialise and network like him. I wanted to dazzle like my Dad did.  

It worked. For a while. Until it didn’t. And then I burned out. 

Baby You’re Star 

Burning out sounds very dramatic but for me it was a loss of focus. Skew was doing well, working with the best brands in the world. It had always been my ambition to do this. Hadn’t it? It took becoming a father myself to make me take my foot off the accelerator, to stop and think about who I am and what I want next. 

“Yes, of course I’m proud of you”. Is what I’d wanted him to say. I childishly wanted approval but as we talked I learned something far more important. My Dad grew up without a family, he never had a model to follow. Yet he’d raised me and lived his life being true to himself and what I needed to do was to be true to myself. 

Like my Dad I am a grafter but I’m better at strategy than implementation. I am highly social but I prefer a one-to-one with a deeper conversation to working a room full of strangers. I can dazzle in pitches when I’ve done my homework and know my stuff. In short I am an introvert. An introvert and proud of it. 

Dance On

In part, I set Skew up to prove to my Dad I could do something he baulked at. Starting a business was his unrealised ambition not mine. But whatever the underlying motivation then, today is what matters. I’ve got new ambitions and they’re all my own.

I'm working to make Skew the worlds most effective brand extension agency. As we make progress towards this goal I’m creating a company bursting with opportunities for growth, fun and fulfilment.

But most importantly for me personally is that I’m in business trying to bring my true self to work each day.

Lets Go Crazy

There’s one more thing about me. There are clues hidden in this bio. Connect and message me with the right answer and we’ll probably end up being bff’s.

Contribute to our ongoing research by connecting with Oliver Dyer here. Find out more about Skew at skewstudio.com Get insights in your inbox by signing up to our newsletter