For Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of ground breaking digital agency AKQA, life is all about the entrepreneurial, and this is the message that he brought to the Seven Hills Academy this morning.
Whilst he has forged his own path in the hard-nosed world of business, Ajaz left the Seven Hills team in no doubt that pursuing money is not the way to get ahead. From his first forays into business, selling recycled floppy discs, to turning down multimillion-pound deals, Ajaz has strived for excellence alone. It is this steadfast approach to championing the spirit of entrepreneurship that has set Ajaz apart and launched AKQA to the front of its field.
The agency is now known worldwide for its unique and eye-catching work for Nike, and the firm continues to promote the creativity and experimentation that Ajaz inspired in its early days.
The talk was, then, a lesson in the inspirational qualities of great business. Whilst Ajaz would claim that business is far harder than conversation, drawing on his experience of writing his new book, Limitless, and that his only talent is hiring good people, his presentation left few in any doubt that his effortless storytelling probably sealed plenty of deals itself.