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There’s no denying that London is an agency hotspot, full of talent. But what happens when your agency is based outside of major city hubs, and attracting senior talent isn’t so realistic?

For Mike Maynard, CEO of Napier, answer lies in in-house training.

“Our main office is in Chichester, which is not a hotbed of marketing and PR,” he says. “So, we have to hire people and train them up. It’s basically our strategy to develop people.”

It’s a proactive approach to a very common challenge faced by agencies outside of big cities – and an approach that Mike admits is key for survival. 

“We’re wonderfully generous and want to build careers – but also, we’re screwed if we don’t,” he says.

Mike’s approach is about more than just solving an immediate problem. 

By focusing on practical training and hands-on experience, Mike has created a system that builds confidence, empathy, and understanding within his team.

They do things like:

• Structured training and informal learning opportunities. The agency has created its own training approach to fit the needs of their team. “There’s not a lot of one-size-fits-all ‘How to be good in an agency’ training out there,” Mike says.
• Hands-on experience. “We have an experience tracker with 30 tasks everyone has to complete – like creating a Google Ads campaign or writing a press release. Even if they don’t specialise in those areas, it helps them understand what’s involved.” The experience trackers also reduce onboarding time significantly. 
• Build a culture that is always learning. “Pretty much everyone gets called upon to do some training at some point. It’s part of our retention strategy – though honestly, it’s also our survival strategy.” It has also helped the team with their confidence, empathy, and subject expertise.

In this session, Mike will be talking candidly about Napier’s in-house training programme and how it has helped them find and build a talented team they need – without venturing into London.