YouSaid · the spoken record

Ajaz Ahmed

lines on the record: 31
first: 2022-07-19
most recent: 2022-07-19
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Master of Scale is a Wakewater Original. Our executive producers are June Cohen, Darren Tripp, and Jordan Cloud, our head of content and production is Lori Hoffman. Our producers are Adam Skeuse, Catherine Clark Gray, Marie McCoy Thompson, Alex Morris, Tucker Ligurski, and Holly Bondy. Our editor at large is Bob Saffian. Our music director is Ryan Holliday. Original music and sound design by Eduardo Rivera. Audio editing by Keith J. Nelson, Stephen Davies, Andrew Nalt, and Mike Gallagher. Mixing and mastering by Brian Pugh. Special thanks to Chris Y, Elisa Schreiber, Aria Finger, Saida Sapieva, Greg Beato, Adam Heiner, Colin Howarth, Willem Crowles, Tim Cronin, Kelsey Capitano, Samiaputa, Anna Pizano, Saratar, Lear Servatis.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Likely too old for a paper route, but think about what the next paper root sized opportunity might be for you. An opportunity can appear small in the distance, but if you drive full speed and remember to read the road signs along the way, the opportunity may lead you to vistas you never thought possible. I'm Reid Offman. Thank you for listening.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Ajaz knew that this was an example of where speed means everything. They read the signs that pointed to a bureaucratic grind if they were to navigate towards wider change. So instead they drove full speed to achieve some tangible good quickly. Ajaj's long tenure at AKQA armed him with a skill set and faith in speed to best lead the charity initiatives. AKA is still redefining what it means to be a digital agency as it continues to scale.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Code of conscience that fights illegal deforestation. Fleets in both Australia and Brazil began to implement the code, and in response to the catastrophe created by COVID, Ajaz. org began to offer emergency grants to families and children on the poverty line.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Rather than use this new technology as a gimmick in pursuit of virality, Ajah saw signs to use it to send a significant message. This release was a year after the murder of Michael Brown and Ferguson and five years before that of George Floyd. So retrospectively, AKA's collaboration can be seen as miles ahead of most major content corporations social consciousness. The road signs, employing responsible and moral leadership, were becoming obvious on every block for Ajah's. He couldn't ignore them. He saw this moment in his career as a time to pivot into nonprofit work and open his car to those that need a ride. Ajah's formed two AKQA offshoots Ajaws. org and AKQA Bloom AKA Bloom focuses on environmental causes, the agency partner with NGOs worldwide to launch an open source software called”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Avenue of content creation. The agency drove full speed at the chance to use revolutionary technology in music videos. In 2015, AKQA collaborated with the artist Usher on a song Chains. The music tackled the ongoing plight and oppression of African Americans in the United States.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“This is exactly right. Scaled organizations have the capacity to stomach risks without them becoming existential threats. If they take a risk and a misfires, they can absorb the loss and move on. But counterintuitively, that doesn't mean a small startup shouldn't take risks. Small scrappy organizations actually must take risks because of that size your main advantage is speed. If you bet wrong, you failed, but at least you failed fast. And if you're right, you can gain first mover to scale advantage. You should still be reading your road signs, but you have to read them faster than the competition. At this phase, the most important sign of all is minimum speed one hundred miles per hour. You can't slow down to the speed of competitors if you want to beat them to scale. Keeping the minimum speed in mind, Ajaz shifted once again to seek inspiration in a new.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In 2001, AKQA received a $71 million investment from Accenture and merged with three other firms around the world to become an international agency. Hajaz's inner voice had told him yet big or die trying. Well, now they got big. Five years after that disappointing blow from Nike, Ajaz got a call from them. Nike wanted AKQA to work on their next campaign. In the years that followed, the agency became closely tied to Nike, working on a soccer campaign in the UK, and later an Air Max sneaker release.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In short, the dot-com crash But while other businesses were focusing on their engines up in flames, Ajaz used the moment of smoke and carnage to remake AKQA for the future bigger and better. With everyone else afraid of dot com winter, he used the pit stop to resupply for the next leap. AKA raised capital and went shopping for agencies that were momentarily struggling but could amplify AKQA's aspirations.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“This strengthened Ajahs and Richards' already fruitful relationship and cemented a long road ahead together, bolstered by successful contracts, Ajas felt like he could continue to book it in the fast lane. He saw no reason to believe otherwise. But Ajaz wasn't content. He'd never forgotten that early lost Nike account, despite considerable success and growth, he was still haunted by that get big or die trying lesson, and he kept his eyes peeled for the next scale leap off ramp. It materialized, ironically, from a moment of deep trouble. It was the early two thousands and after years of boom times the internet bubble burst. Valuations plummeted, companies disappeared, AKQA was hardly immune from the carnage.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Perhaps no entrepreneur better embodies the drive full speed ethos than Sir Richard. Having started a record label as a teenager, Branson saw a kindred spirit in Ojaw's.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“AKQA saw a clear sign from Nike, roadblock ahead. The pitch had proven that AKQA could compete, but before they could land a dream brand like Nike, they'd have to race on to get big or die trying. But Ojaws and his team also took encouragement from the experience. AKQA spent the next few years building not just their volume of clients, but specifically targeting those with high-name value who also wanted to expand online. Eventually, they got traction with high-profile brands like Coca-Cola and BMW, a brand that became synonymous with AKQA was Virgin. As you heard at the top of the episode, with Ajaz's nerve wracking meeting with Sir Richard Branson on a plane, AKA and Virgin formed a thriving working relationship.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“This aligns with a belief you've heard me say on the show before. Show your work early and show it often. Building the prototypes was mission critical for AKQA as they were creating technology that the layperson couldn't comprehend yet. One of the first major brands that AKQA had the opportunity to woo was Nike, despite respected agencies also aiming to secure the account, the presentation went so well that Ajaz and the team left the pitch with confidence and swagger.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Available yet, and in fact may be very far from completion. So AKQA decided to do a 180 instead. Whenever they'd pitch a campaign to a potential client, they would put in the work to build a prototype ahead of time. They drove quickly to design and build before the client even approved the pitch. This way, the client could see exactly what they would be buying into.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Back with our episode on driving full speed towards opportunity with Ajaz Ahmed. If you're enjoying this episode, share it with friends. Just hit the share button in your podcast app, and to listen to my full conversation with Ajaz become a master's scale member at masterscale. com slash membership. There are more stories we couldn't get to, including Ashton Tate's unusual cross-country challenge to Ajah's, and how AKQA built an app that users surprisingly found too fast. You won't want to miss it. When we left off, Ajaz had just founded AKQA with no clients, a brave feat for a new agency, especially one composed of twenty-one-year-old dropouts. Cho, how could they attract clients when competing with established advertising agencies? Their inspiration came from a phenomena known as vaporware.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“There before a jaws on a flickering CRT computer screen was the world wide web, so new it had been dubbed the information superhighway. He took the mouse, hovered it solemnly over a hyperlink, and clicked”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“However, it only took a handful of months for Ajaz to discover an unexpected opportunity, a different stretch of open road. It wasn't a professor who opened his eyes, but a classmate.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Like many of his graduating classmates, Ajah sped into the business world, leveraging his Ashton Tate experience to land jobs at other prominent tech companies, including Apple. However, despite his quick rise, Ajah started to feel like he was missing something. A voice told him he may have skipped a valuable life experience, so he made the U-turn to drive back. When you're driving fast, you're relying on your peripheral vision to decipher the signs around you, because the middle of the highway is no place to pour over every left turn. If you miss something, it's actually okay to stop, study your map, and double back. It's not always efficient, but efficiency sometimes is actually not nearly as important as speed. In Ajaz's case, it didn't take long to find his way back to university.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“One challenge they tasked the young Ajaz with, analyzed the warehouse, and see where the company could be saving money. So Ajaz traveled the four hundred miles up the British Isles to Scotland and did just that. His advice was taken on board and successfully saved the company money. As a leader, you will find yourself in situations where you have the opportunity to give less experienced team members real power. But you might hesitate. Is now really the right time? Are they really the right person for this task? Are they ready? This is when you need to take a moment to read the signs. You hired this person to your team, and it is in your interest and their interest to challenge them and help them grow, and their fresh perspective and enthusiasm could bring unexpected upsides. For the next few years, Ajaz returned to Ashton Tate and continued to thrive. Instead of going on to”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That letter came straight from the managing director offering Ajah's work at Ashton Tate during breaks in the school year. To someone less hungry this part time job might have been limited to making cups of coffee and filing papers, but Ajah's instinctively recognized that being new in a new environment is when you're primed to listen and learn. So he drove as fast as he could to make the most of his time there.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Rather than starting a lemonade stand or another simpler venture for a kid, Ajaz had a course for this world-renowned company and put the pedal to the floor. He sent more than a dozen letters to Ashton Tate despite being too young to work there legally. After three years without a response, Ajaz took the lacquer response as a sign he needed to change his approach.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Ajas had driven directly to what fascinated him and saw beyond the office and into a world of pure imagination and opportun”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“What to most 12-year-olds would appear nothing more than a boring adult office producing spreadsheet software was a glorious wonderland to Aj”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Every morning on his paper route, Ajaz passed the Ashton Tate office, and each time he couldn't help imagining the excitement inside. It's worth noting here that Ashton Tate was known for their financial modeling and office productivity software, not the kind of thing that motivates most twelve year old boys. But for Ojaws, it was tantalizing. One morning, he couldn't resist any longer, so he marched in the lobby and introduced himself. Ajas didn't have much idea of what would happen next, so was a surprise when they not only let him in, but he was also treated to a VIP level tour of the offices.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You've already interacted with an AKQA product. This year, the digital ad agency expects to exceed one billion dollars in revenue. Hajawas grew up in the UK's equivalent of Silicon Valley, the Thames Valley. In the 1980s, the area was booming, and Ajaz was surrounded by striving tech companies. In fact, a deft awareness of his surroundings and a radar for opportunity started for Ajahaz as a pre teen.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Need to go as fast as possible while still being able to absorb the signals. This same balance is true in entrepreneurship. Time and again a growing company will sacrifice speed over focus or vice versa, but both are integral in winning the race to scale. I wanted to talk to Ajah's Ahmed about this because throughout his entrepreneurial journey he accelerated towards opportunities when the stakes and outcome were still up in the air. Ajaz founded the digital design and communications agency in nineteen ninety four at the age of twenty one. AKQA cut its teeth making innovative web applications and solutions for brands throughout the nineties. It pivoted toward creative marketing content in the two thousand, producing commercials and online campaigns for BMW, McDonald's, and Microsoft, among others.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Masters of Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, partner at Greylock, and your host. And I believe that you should drive full speed at opportunity as long as you remember to read the road signs. Have you ever been part of a scavenger hunt? It's a race where clues are scattered around a vast location. Each clue gives you a hint to the locale of the next. Now, the trick is binding the balance between speed and carefully reading the signs. If you focus too much on going fast, you're more likely to misread the clue and get sloppy. If you get the clue wrong, you could wind up miles from the correct checkpoint. On the other hand, if you spend all of your time at the first clue weighing each possible answer, you will lose valuable race time.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Jaws immediately accepted Sir Richard's invitation to what turned out to be a life changing, despite being unsure what would happen and with no way to prepare. He drove full speed towards the opportunity as soon as he'd got the green light. But once Ajaws was in that meeting, he saw what a huge learning opportunity this was, and did more listening than talking. That's why I believe that you should drive full speed at opportunity as long as you remember to read the roadsides. You got to have incredible talent at every position”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Profound advice listening is a healing is something Ajah's took to heart, and he's used it as a touchstone ever since. And the reason he was in the room to receive it was that when Sir Richard extended a vague invitation, Ajah said.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Venerable group was brought together by Nelson Mandela, Sir Richard Branson, and the musician Peter Gabriel. They would be known as the music. As the elders Their mission to assemble experienced leaders from around the world to fight for peace and justice. And they were all there in the room with the jaws.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That's Ajaz Ahmed, the founder and CEO of the Digital Advertising Agency. And the Richard he's referring to Sir Richard Branson. Pyramet, where else, but on a version flight. Ajah's Sir Richard is an idol. That night, Ajaz could barely sleep. Filled with excitement and intrigue over this mystery meeting. The morning. I'll just out the number he was given. When Sir Richard answered, he told Ajaz where to meet, but still not what he was being invited to. Ajaz was still in the dark when he walked through the doors and into that meeting. What he saw, or rather who he saw, astounded him.”
2022-07-19 · Masters of Scale · Drive full-speed at opportunity, w/AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT