The decision was made in Melville in Johannesburg with Noel Cottrell a copywriter I had worked earlier, but we were both creatives, and in our industry, you know that the creative guys need the business partner. He said he knows just the guy and this guy's name is Gareth Leck.

The original thought was to start an advertising cafe and it would have a fridge door because there will be fresh ideas. That was kind of the starting point, over a couple of bottles of red wine. Then it evolved to have a menu, and we were going to call it Lucky Fried Ideas. So, the idea of menu-tising our offering, not be paid for our time, pay us for our ideas. So we'd have a 'rare' idea, a 'medium' idea, a 'well-done' idea, and there'd be a price point for each one and you decide what level of idea you want and pay us for it. We'll come up with the idea, then, depending on the idea, it will be a rare, medium or well-done execution.

I think the redeeming insight for me is the power of really standing for what you believe in.

Geez, I feel ill-positioned to answer this because, for the past decade, most of the great ideas of our business are the byproduct of our people. And I know a lot of people say that, so I don't want to be overly humble because when I was coming up with ideas, I was renowned to come up with very good ideas myself. But my level in my industry is where it is at by the grace of the amazing people that work for Joe Public. 

A great environment will definitely be purpose-based, in my view. So, if I'm a person working for this business, and I know that they've got something beyond just product and profit.

When you work with ideas, you truly trust your gut. I mean, that's factual, that our brains process at 2000 bits per second and everything below our heads at 400 billion. So it's one gram versus two tons of processing power and I see that in the corporate world where I work. We present ideas, then comes gut response.

I think it's important to stand for what you believe in and to stand firmly. But when you're in a service industry, there's a time when you've got a client who's paying you to do them a job and if they're not buying what you're selling them, change your approach. Change that idea. 

It is almost a cliche, but people are the only appreciating asset in business. It's the truth. And often, we don't treat them to the level they should be treated. It's also a two-way street though, which I've experienced - you have to work with people that want to be worked with.

My day starts at four. I will do my studies for an hour, then I'll do the gym for an hour, six days a week, then I'll do an hour of planning and reflection. So, I do this little ritual where I look myself in the mirror and say, "I love you," which is a great practice because we want everyone to see us but we don't see ourselves. And it's a difficult thing to get right but I do it daily. I plan my day. I do my reflections. I reflect every day on my purpose, my values, my vision.

People think business starts with vision, but vision without purpose is self-serving, often. Vision based on purpose becomes completely in service of something bigger. You attract different people and you start creating different systems and different processes and a different product, and everything starts changing. And when all those things align, you start experiencing abundance.