AMA: Mickey Wilson, founder of Firestarter

Drawing on decades of branding expertise, Firestarter empowers startups and scaleups to craft bold, authentic brands that unlock their potential and set them apart in a competitive world.

Co-founder and CEO, Mickey Wilson, tells us more.

Hi Mickey! Could you share the story behind your startup, including the problem you set out to solve and the inspiration that led to its creation?

I set up my first agency when I was 21. Early on, we were lucky enough to acquire Tesco as a client, which opened the door to working with big businesses.

Over the next 20 years, we designed brands and campaigns for some household names alongside many large corporates, tackling exciting challenges at scale.

But in between those contracts, we worked with smaller, local businesses. And I loved it! Because here, working with founders, we could make the most difference.

The idea for Firestarter was spurred by one challenge that consistently towers above everything else for start-ups and scale-ups: how to differentiate.

Finding answers to the "Why choose us?" question, the “What sets us apart, why do we exist, and why should anyone care?” question can be overwhelming for small businesses, often leaving them without a clear-cut or compelling value proposition.

While larger companies have the resources to build polished, cohesive brands, many ambitious entrepreneurs navigate the branding process without a roadmap. They know they need to stand out but don’t know where to start.

So Firestarter was born. The plan was to take everything I’d learned from decades in branding and pour it into empowering start-ups and scale-ups.

Firestarter is all about helping purpose-driven businesses create stunning, authentic, highly differentiated brands to ignite their potential and give them the best chance of success in a shark-eat-shark business world.

What were the initial challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

In the early days of Firestarter, it was just me. So I wore all the hats – strategist, designer, copywriter, chief technology officer (not my finest role!), accountant. I was even my own coach!

It was exhilarating to build something from scratch, but also exhausting. I was working around the clock and often felt like I was getting nowhere. The breakthrough came when I started to scale.

I let go of the idea that I had to do everything myself (or, more accurately, painfully prised myself away) and focused on building a team of people whose skills complemented my own.

That shift not only lightened the load but allowed me to focus on what I do best: concepts, strategy and creating impact for our clients.

Could you tell me a bit more about your team?

In 2021, I partnered with an amazing (and very brave!) psychologist, Dr Chris Endersby, to underpin our creative ingenuity with psychological insight.

With Chris on board, we go beyond aesthetics, helping clients truly understand their audiences and create brands that resonate on a deeper, human level.

Then initially, we grew our team in London, but the high costs of London-based talent became a barrier as the people we most wanted to work with couldn’t afford us.

So, in the summer of 2023, we pivoted and launched Firestarter Studios in Cape Town. South Africa is a creative powerhouse, with incredible design, illustration and animation talent, and the costs are much more accessible for our clients.

So now we do strategy, concepts and brand messaging from our London HQ and all the design side is handled out in the Cape. Enabling us to offer top-tier creative work without the hefty price tag typically associated with London agencies.

It’s been transformative – for us and our clients.

If you could only choose one metric to help guide your business success, what would it be and why?

Pipeline. Your order book reflects everything: from how successfully you’re attracting and winning clients to how effectively you’re delivering value and building relationships.

It’s the ultimate barometer of your business health and your ability to scale.

If you want a crystal ball for your business, this is as close as it gets.

What tech are you totally reliant on?

Creative tools like Adobe and Figma are the lifeblood of our work. They’re essential for bringing new brands to life with stunning visual designs. Without them, Firestarter wouldn’t and couldn’t work.

What's a unique tradition, celebration, or inside joke that's become a part of your company culture?

We have Flelvis – our quirky flamingo mascot, made entirely of flames. He’s a little abstract of course, but definitely Firestarter’s spirit animal – representing our playful side and our commitment to sparking creativity and helping clients to stand out and show off!

Flelvis is a bit of a legend - he makes regular appearances in our team chats and he even authors our team newsletters.

Brilliant! Could you share a challenging moment or setback in your journey and the lessons you learned?

Oh, this is a big one: always get payment upfront! Early on, we trusted a key client completely and then got burned (pun intended) when they chalked up a huge bill and didn’t pay.

We’d worked with these guys for 18 months with regular payments, so this was a huge shock!

Never let your guard slip – even if your client has a good behaviour record.

Protect yourself and your team so you can focus on doing great work without unnecessary stress.

What’s your dream dinner party line-up?

I’d have to go for this inspiring mix:

• Banksy (to lift the mask on his mysteriousness and to add a touch of rebellion)
• Stephen Fry (for his wit and intellect)
• David Bowie (for his one-of-a-kind flair)
• My lovely nan (because I’d love to see her again)

And if he’s lucky, I might even invite Chris Endersby, my psychologist business partner (to inject more comedy and help me remember everything!).

If only! What a night to remember!

And finally, if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, it would be...

It would be a mix tape of my favourite songs from various artists and all different genres. But we’ve gotta include The Prodigy’s Firestarter right? 

Naturally! Thanks for sharing what fuels your trailblazing agency, Mickey.