Picture courtesy of FELIX HENDERSON - Felix in a blue cloud
PROFILE/BIO
Felix is Co-Founder of Look After Group, a digital marketing and brand agency that helps future facing and highly disruptive businesses to grow. Their client base ranges from household brands to global multinational corporations. Prior to founding Look After, Felix started his career as a journalist before moving into brand consultancy where he worked with BMW, Samsung, Microsoft and Gareth Bale among other clients. He also spent four years running his own business in the technology space, building it into one of the most recognizable student brands in the UK.
1 – IF YOU COULD ONLY TWEET ONE PIECE OF ADVICE ON CAREERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Perhaps something about don’t be afraid to follow your own path? And definitely something about building confidence by mastering small incremental steps. So, I would probably tweet, “Success is earned through a series of stumbles, adjustments, and restarts. The key is to be resilient, determined, and balanced. Like the Kipling poem…If you can meet success and failure and treat those two imposters just the same…then you’ll do ok.”
2 – WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH DRS SCHUSTER & OXLEY ON A CAREER CAROL?
I have known Helmut for many years, and he has been a great mentor, advisor, and friend. Someone who I have turned to for wise counsel. I met David during the book interviews. I have no doubt that the book project will be filled with wisdom, humor, and the kind of practical and actionable peer-to-peer advice that young entrepreneurs can actually use, not just absorb.
The main thing I enjoyed from the work on the book was spending time with Drs Schuster & Oxley and thinking through how I might translate my experience into lessons, both cautionary and exemplary.
3 – DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BOOK WHICH HAS HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER OR PERSONAL FULFILLMENT?
I think it’s possible sometimes to get as much or more from a well written novel than it is from a more traditional book on business and careers. This said, let me start by saying anyone in marketing needs to have read Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay. I also loved reading Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed, it teaches not just the importance of an analytical and data driven approach, but that progress and growth come through the lessons of failure, so embrace it, don’t fear it.
4 – WHO DO YOU FIND THE MOST INSPIRING PUBLIC FIGURE?
As a young British entrepreneur with an obsession for brand and marketing I’d have to say Richard Branson. He went to the same school as I did, and I was lucky enough to meet him when I was 18 about to embark on my first venture.
He does things with swagger and vision and that’s reflected in the Virgin brand which is packed full of personality. But he’s also not afraid to be self-deprecating and inject a little humour, and it’s good to see someone so successful show that it doesn’t have to be too serious all the time.
5 – HOW DO YOU UNWIND AND RELAX?
Spending time with my family, I have a young daughter and spending time with her puts everything that happens in a day into perspective. Someone once told me ‘Felix, it’s PR not ER’ and that resonated hugely, time at home is so important to me.
The classic things like watching sport, exercising, and kicking back on the sofa also help remove me from the grind.
And finally dreaming. Whether it’s visualizing desired outcomes or just getting lost in the ridiculous scenario’s a dream can put you in, I’ve learned to appreciate the moments where the brain runs wild for what they can offer the conscious mind. It’s not as pretentious as it sounds, I promise, but it just provides a kind of release.
BONUS QUESTION 6 – IF YOU WERE GRANTED ONE PROFESSIONAL WISH…HOW WOULD YOU USE IT?
The obvious answer is to grow Look After Group into a major force. We are doing really well, and I think the future looks bright. The less obvious answer might be to wish that along the road I can build and sustain strong business relationships, be considered a great colleague, friend, and collaborator by all those I work with. In many ways, if I achieve that then I suspect everything else will turn out just fine.
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