Most people think that courage is the absence of fear. But that’s not what it is. If it were, then you wouldn’t need any. It means having the strength to face your fears. In the creative industry, that translates to having the courage to propose bold ideas and the skill to persuade clients and their customers to embrace them – despite their fears.

Courage partners Dhaval Bhatt and Joel Holtby call it a “one-word business model.” Unlike firms that overthink their names or hide behind long, overcomplicated positioning statements, Courage keeps it disarmingly simple and honest.

According to Bhatt, they’ve seen it work in their favour many times in the three and a half years since they launched the agency. “We truly believe that we can help brands find their courage. It’s not this super lofty thing; it’s actually very functional. When we look back at the kind of work that we’ve been most proud of throughout our careers, it’s not always doing the craziest thing you can do at that moment. It’s about pushing boundaries. There’s always going to be something to overcome, and our job is to convince clients to take the leap with us.”