At Wizard of Ads, we generally CHOOSE to work with owner-operated companies. If the owner of the company makes $20 million a year, no problem. The company belongs to the owner of the company.
Every time I’m contacted by a large publicly-traded company, I try to remember this. The temptation certainly exists to brag about doing work for XYZ Consolidated Global Industries, Inc., but I know I would live to regret it.
First of all, there’s simply very few ways to build a solid, long-term relationship with a public company short of nepotism or good-ol-boy shenanigans.
And, the raping of the shareholders (and I chose that word carefully) just makes me sick.
Head on over to Michelle Leder’s Footnoted blog to read about what she uncovers digging around in the SEC filings of some of our biggest corporate citizens.
I have no interest in helping so many of these people steal from the pensioners and retirees who own shares in the companies that these executives are legally sacking.
Give me a small-business owner with a big dream. That’s who I want to help.