ΛRK - Acts of Random Kindness

June 15 2010

Business, even Ark° business, is stressful. Especially when you're young and running a start up. You're trying to make sense of a totally unknown world with zero experience, and whether it exists or not, feel the pressure to make it happen. At the start of the week we were feeling that pressure. We've been doing good but are going through a bit of a lull. Everything from money, to product, to campaigns, to Christmas Strategies (in june?!), to new employees is a headache. I spent my bank holiday monday writing a two page email full of questions for the lads to chew on. There were 43 in total. Reading them would make you want to pull the duvet over your head or just leave the country.

Cam was up in Belfast learning to ride a motorbike. He took some time out to think about Ark° and got back to me with his thoughts. Except it was a poem. 

This is why I love working at Ark°. 

Ro

Yo,

Let me break it down...
No need to frown
I've been gone a while 
A whole hundred miles

Just before I start,
Have you seen heels with heart? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK2_7nkMVfs

Kid's will certainly fall flat
Little african boys
Given cross dressers toys?
TOMS could do with a bita Foy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNWTaqFexSk

Now I've been cracking the whip
Mixed in with the odd kip
I've opened a few doors
That could certainly see us soar

Mr Fro, 
I know it's been slow, 
hopefully this one will bring a smile as much as dough (balls)...

Last November I was approached by a nice opportunity
John's the top dog, the CEO
BITC provides support to companies supporting their community (http://www.bitc.org.uk/)
I was like "not now, but maybe later bro"

Speaking to Garreth, he reminded me of John
"if you want free PR, you and John are gona get on"
(BITC is a bunch of businesses who give advice, help etc. to companies who are doing something that benefit their community)

So here we can see
everything is meant to be
By Niall providing Design for Change
Ro and Russel Brand don't sound so strange

Now onto my next opening door
When I heard this one
my jaw hit the floor

You both know Hannah (the marvellous) Hunt
Well she's hit a gold mine so I'll just be blunt...
Q conference for us seemed like a great opportunity. 
Right it would be, but listen to me. 
Unknown to us, and the majority
There's an elite group behind this sorority

They go by the name The Gathering
A smaller network of highly connected entrepreneurs
To name a few - Blake, Jackley, Flannery (http://www.kiva.org/)
They're the ones that need tapped, of this I'm sure
Stay with me now, the story certainly doesn't stop
That very same day, a nice surprise in my inbox
A trade mission's going to Dallas in Arktober - (Half of all my expenses paid for my trip to Dallas)
Let's try to remain sober

Now listen lads, I'm remaining calm
I know this one of one hundred different plans
The only point I'm trying to make 
Is to keep ourselves fluid so nothing's a mistake
Every day we see opportunities
Some of them pass us, some of them don't
Some times we reach and grab them and we're disappointed at the outcomes
Some times we reach out and there's nothing to grab and we're even more annoyed that things didn't go to plan

The big thing I've learned is that nothing is a mistake. Simple as that.

We could spending half our money on a website was a mistake. Not really. It lead us to write a brand brief that received the highest praise from some top designers. 
We could say Melange was a mistake, not really, it just taught us about supply and demand and how we're not as big as we thought we were.
We could say ordering way too much stock from China was a mistake but would the story be as good? 
Would the story be as good without all the mistakes? If it were plain sailing would we have the laughs we have? Would we learn the lessons we have? Would we be the creatives we have become?

Nothing is a mistake

So jump in a lake

Drink a milkshake

Get a headache 

Eat a cake... with a steak and some corn flakes

Share it with a snake

Name it Jake

Make sure it's not fake... cause that'd be boring

Take a tea break and do it again

C