Sideways is my new forward

There are many who start a successful company or organisation in the correct manner. Not me. I never asked, nor sought advice when Astute Graphics was nothing more than a glint in my eye. I never received an apparition telling me about the Exit Plan bit.

To all other Branson wannabes, heed this insightful nugget and heed it well. You want a realistic Exit Plan to exist at exactly the same time as the Launch Plan is conceived. Crazy talk, eh?

Before I go any further, I want to make this clear; an Exit Plan does not have to equate to hailing an Uber and vanishing into the distance after 3 years and the successful birth of a unicorn paradigm-shifting-Airbnb-like-disruptor. The chances of that happening to you are more elusive than a unicorn itself. For me, after 14 years of shepherding Astute Graphics to greater and greater success, this is not my Brexit moment with the company.

Whereas I don't consider Astute Graphics to be my baby which will never be allowed to grow up, I think of it now as an adolescent who just got straight A's in its senior school exams. One that still benefits—and requires—gentle guidance. Like a proud parent, I hugely admire what has been achieved, its catalogue of vector design tools powering some of the biggest brands and most creative minds in the world. However, those accomplishments are born of the team and I cannot, nor desire, to claim full credit.

You don't get a dog and bark yourself

Before I continue with the exit theme, some background information is apt.

Everyone has their key strengths. I am now happy to claim team building as a hard-won attribute which compliments my original inclination to engineering. Seeing amazing, new creative tools appear and evolve at the hands of true talent within Astute Graphics is always my workplace buzz. But it's my pride of ensuring colleagues are given opportunities to thrive and enjoy a challenge that regularly returns to me.

Things I've had to also learn and master along the way includes the language of professional creatives, EU VAT MOSS returns, how to assemble office desks, perform table inversion in Excel, how to wire an ethernet cable, the finer points of vacuuming under colleague's desks at weekends, when C++ should not be confused with CSS, why a hand-written paper engineering journal is no use to man nor beast, and finally the weight of ultimate responsibility can be more crushing than words can convey. That last point comes about as a result of setting out solo on this adventure which has its own pros and cons.

What I've also learned is that you employ others because they know better than you in their field of expertise. You don't get a dog and bark yourself.

Undoubtedly, expertise is required when it comes to targeting eternal revenue growth. Whereas I feel I've earned my stripes with a wide range of corporate chores, there are experts with greater knowledge in business development. My university days were spent learning about car engineering and the back catalogue of the Stone Roses, not buried in a library at Harvard reading up on the history, principles and strategies associated with P&L’s, EBITDA’s and M&A's.

Don't confuse these statements with a lack of self-confidence. Quite the opposite, as I am very aware that businesses such as Astute Graphics are relatively rare in economy. A software company that has never required outside funding, and yet, has amassed an astonishing arsenal of world-class and relevant technology for 14 years without faltering is something that gives an immense inner strength.

What's the plan, Stan?

For those of you who think business plans are for bank managers, potential financial backers or another assortment of strangers, you're wrong. I'm not going to even humour you on your differing viewpoint. That's because a business plan is first and very much foremost for you and your internal team.

Any spreadsheet financial projection sham—you know the one... it conveniently proves your point at the expense of reality—is the equivalent of tying your own shoelaces together and then comically falling at the first step.

A plan has to be realistic, honest and sincere. It won't be perfect as we're not gods who can see into the future, but it's our best and most genuine estimation with all the knowledge at the current time.

The test comes when you openly discuss and challenge your entire team with a full copy of the plan. What faces are pulled? What damning comments need deep consideration? Can you mould and sculpt the tome to be accepted by all, yourself included? Will it stand the test of time over the coming months or year and prove its worth as a signpost for activity, measurements and success?

At Astute Graphics, we rehash the plan at the start of each year. More recently we've also produced a major mid-year edit. In 2020, the plan was the focus of the first two weeks of the year bringing direction to the team earlier than ever. In those two weeks, the plan veered in direction with peer editing ensuring wilder aspirations were tempered and sharp focus returned to core activity with solid growth.

Back to the start; what's all this about exiting?

Quite simply, I'm going to follow our business plan.

There are many pillars in the plan including engineering requirements, marketing and sales approaches, financial projections, team growth and leadership.

It's the leadership aspect which has now set a path for me and is the result of several years of soul-searching, corporate exploration, exciting new partnerships, rejection and reality. How do I personally move on from being a Founder and CEO? How do I ensure the best for my family, colleagues and loyal customers?

I can not help feeling that an Exit Plan from the outset would have saved much energy and escapades down blind alleys for me, my wife and colleagues. Hindsight… and all that.

I'm too young to retire. Too poor to retire young. I still want to be part of the company and witness its continued journey first-hand. I want to get up each morning and play with the latest and greatest creative tools for the first time.

First, we need to get new blood right at the top. I fully expect the title of CEO to be stamped on another's business card within Astute Graphics by end 2023. The transition period allows a COO to be brought onboard Q4 2020, get trained up in our specific market, identify personal and wider challenges, and then be given a free enough rein plus resources to prove themselves.

All this allows me to swap my “E” with a “T”, to emerge as CTO (Chief Technical Officer). To me, it's almost like the taste of work nirvana.

The upshot of all these musical chairs, is better ensuring long-term growth and stability. Is a company greedy if it wants to grow in revenue, profit, IP holding and market reach? I counter that the alternative would be stagnation and decline which benefits no-one, customers least.

Steadily forging the future

There's every chance someone will ask why this process can't be accelerated. Having an experienced COO/CEO leading has many significant benefits and I'd be happy in a metaphorical “man cave” dreaming up crazy tech.

Not so fast. Bringing a COO onboard is a costly exercise as significant resources are required to ensure meaningful enhancements can take place. Critically, that right person needs to be found which is needle-in-a-haystack territory. An advert could be posted tomorrow in all dignified hire-a-COO publications, but that would not reflect the personal and tight-knit structure of the company. With the team being the core strength, a different and more time-consuming process of search is required.

Thankfully, since 2017, we've been sticking very much to our own script when it comes to giving ourselves a fighting chance to see through another decade. In September 2019, we made our single largest change over to an Annual Service Plan model, which is kind of SaaS-with-bells. The results so far have been truly astonishing, transforming not only the customer's access to the full Astute Graphics time-saving and creative-boost tool catalogue. It’s also brought stability with so much change having taken place in the wider market.

Call me old-fashioned, but we're going to take our time to do things right to hit a long-term objective. Like we've always done.

Your mileage may vary

I'm not a business book fiend, bar Dilbert, who has written many a wiser word than Confucius. Therefore, I'm wide open to valid criticism that I could have got from A to B in half the time with double the result.

Therefore, this is my simple appraisal. I have been wrong in the past and I may well be wrong again. Outside and unknown influences may bring on an unpredictable head wind, but we've prepared for the voyage.

Are there valid learnings for others who aspire to build a success for themselves? I hope—and trust—that's the case. However, for the same reason that I rarely turn to someone else's written experiences for advice, your mileage is likely to vary. Experience and attitude are your best assurances of success.

I'd be interested to learn your thoughts. After all, I’ve already said others will likely know better.