As someone with a sense of adventure, I’ve always wanted to experience as much as possible in both my life and career. I find it interesting that I continue to be surprised the way things I’ve planned come to fruition. This happens a fair bit with travel. I’ll plan a trip to a dream destination, take the flight, check into my hotel, take a walk, and it invariably hits me…I’m here! How did this happen? (We all know it’s not about luck nor serendipity.) The planning and the willingness to experience opportunities are intentional and, in the moments when they all come together, pride inducing. Today is one of those moments. I find myself in my new home—the amazing city of Seattle, Washington—on the day we’re launching our sixth global office, April Six Seattle, and I’m surprised. This is a real thing.
For those who don’t yet know us, April Six is a B2B technology marketing firm founded 19 years ago in the UK. Over the past five years, April Six has expanded to where tech is growing, to best service our global clients and to embrace new, cutting-edge opportunities. San Francisco, Singapore and Beijing offices were obvious destinations. Our talented teams develop work across all the essential areas of B2B marketing, from branding, strategic positioning, PR, campaign planning and execution, UX/UI and digital and website development to media, data & analytics, and sales enablement. We’ve armed ourselves with such specialists across every area of marketing so that we can more holistically service our clients. What that allows me to do, as one of the April Sixers managing client relationships, is assess what a company really needs, build a phased plan, and bring in the right Sixers to do the job. We don’t sell a specific thing; we sell solving the business problems of our clients and their brands.
So, why April Six Seattle? Why not New York, Boston, Austin, Toronto?
No question that incredible things are happening in all those tech-oriented cities, but Seattle is something special. Simply stated, the Seattle-Bellevue region has become the second largest tech market in North America (see 2018 CBRE study). Seattle officially has the most tech educated populations with high average salaries and among the most tech jobs in the US. It’s obvious that Microsoft and Amazon have much to do with these stats, but what I find most interesting about how this market has changed in recent years is the fact that these tech giants have brought to this city a sort of “offshoot economy.” What I mean by this is the abundance of small/medium technology companies that have arisen solely to support the needs of Amazon and Microsoft.
Beyond the companies supporting the tech giants are the startups that grow out of them. There is a natural attrition of these companies that has led to exciting new tech start-ups in the region. As employees leave the companies that jump-started their careers, they have the opportunity to test the waters on their own and to bring their own commercial ideas to life. With the influx of more VC firms and powerhouses like DocuSign, Facebook and Google opening dev-hubs in the area, this model is flourishing. With all that funding and talent, one thing that doesn’t surprise me is the growth of North America’s latest tech mecca.
It’s clear that now’s the time to be a tech-focused B2B agency in Seattle. For all those reasons and more, the decision was obvious. Not so obvious, again just me being surprised, is the quality of the people I’ve met and how down-to-earth and friendly this town feels to a transplant from Canada (by way of San Francisco). In the short time I’ve navigated this burgeoning market, I’ve already had the opportunity to partner with local peers and potential clients, and I attribute that to the welcoming spirit of the people who call this state home.
Today, we officially open our office in downtown Seattle. April Six Seattle is becoming a reality, and I’m very proud that we took hold of this opportunity and that we’ve committed to becoming part of the invigorating growth stage this whole region is experiencing. I’m looking forward to introducing April Six to forward-thinking technology companies in the region, and to discussing how we can best partner together to do great things in this industry. Give me a call, visit our office, or send an email—I’ll be here, enjoying the view (and the adventure) with a smile on my face.
Janet Knight
Regional Director April Six Seattle
415.299.7623
janet.knight@aprilsix.com
1605 5th Ave. Suite 1100
Seattle, WA 98101