Getting To Know You: Nik Entwistle, Managing Director of creative agency, Turn Key

Nik Entwistle, Managing Director of creative agency, Turn Key, which provides an integrated mix of design, branding, digital, marketing, PR and social media services to clients across the UK tells us what motivates him and what, if he could, he'd do differently.

Getting To Know You: Nik Entwistle, Managing Director of creative agency, Turn Key

January 2, 2013

What do you currently do?
I’m the Managing Director of Turn Key, a group of creative experts based in Leeds. My job encompasses a range of roles and responsibilities but mainly I’m here to ensure the business never stands still and is always moving in the right direction.

Recently we’ve moved to a fantastic new headquarters in the city centre and doubled the number of staff we employee; co-ordinating the expansion has taken a lot of time and planning, but it’s a huge step for the company and a very exciting time!

What is your inspiration in business?
I’ve always thought that starting and progressing a business is like going on a journey. I started Turn Key from my bedroom at the age of 22, 12 years down the line we’re a group of 30 very talented staff spanning four departments. I’ve always been determined to never stagnate, we started off as a handful of designers and as the marketing, communications and digital sectors developed, so did our offering.

Who do you admire?
As cheesy as it sounds, I admire the people I work with. I am very lucky to have recruited a team of talented professionals who are as passionate about Turn Key and what we do as I am.

Looking back, are there things you would have done differently?
My only regret is that I didn’t find the most talented and experienced people that we have in our team today, right at the beginning! Skilled, experienced professionals can really fast track a business in the creative industry – as they always say, if you buy cheap, you pay twice!

What defines your way of doing business?
My approach to business is to always be fair, this applies to both staff and clients. We work in the industry of ideas, the creative world can be opinionated and subjective, but it’s important to always be open to criticism and other people’s point of view.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Use your initiative and follow it as much as you can. Also, don’t borrow money, make your own – in the service industry borrowing is not essential. 

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  • Cat

    Sounds like Nik isn’t very appreciative of all the years of hard work
    that his ‘cheap’ early staff put in for him. It’s a shame he couldn’t commend his new employees without being so disrespectful to the people who worked with him at the beginning.

  • Cheap, apparently.

    Perhaps if Nik didn’t pay his ‘cheap’ ex staff such appalling wages, he wouldn’t have seen over half his workforce leave in the space of 12 months… or was that just part of his ‘expansion’ plan?

  • E

    When I joined Turn Key in 2006, there were 2 account managers and 3 designers.

    In the 4 (enjoyable) years I was with the company the number of staff grew from six into the late teens. Over that time, bigger and bigger client accounts were won and managed excellently by a team of people who worked tirelessly. The company grew and changed and we grew and changed with it – constantly learning, supporting each other through the tears and enjoying the laughs. It wasn’t always perfect (nothing ever is!) but everyone gave it their all.

    It is those 5 people I started with, and those that have come and gone since, that laid the foundation for what Turn Key is now. For Nik not only to not recognise this, but actually say about his former staff “if you buy cheap, you pay twice”, is breathtakingly insulting.

    I sincerely hope that Nik’s comments are due to either a misquote or bad writing, because if not, I’m very disheartened.

  • Cheap, but cheerful

    I wonder if Nik and his PR team are regretting this article this morning?

  • Nik

    Turn Key is what it is today because of the people who have worked
    so hard to build it over the years and I apologise if my comment has been
    taken out of context. We have always employed talented people and I
    for one fully appreciate every single employee who has come and gone through
    the TK doors.

    What I meant in my interview was that I wish I’d had the
    means to employ a larger team at the beginning of our journey to help
    accelerate the business. I’m sorry if this has been misinterpreted through
    an anecdotal comment that was not made in reference to past staff.