Lewis Jenkins is the founder and CEO of Percept Brand Design, a branding, design & creative agency in Sydney offering brand strategy, design, websites, and more.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
After brief stints at leading design agencies in Sydney, Australia as well as a few creative agencies in the UK, I founded Percept Brand Design in 1997 as a 20 year old.
Since then, Percept has matured into one of the top branding agencies in Sydney, Australia, and my role on a day to day basis is the Principal/CEO.
2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I am responsible for overseeing all operations of the business from the performance of account managers, to the creatives in the design studio. Additionally, a large percentage of my own productivity is focused on marketing Percept in competition to other branding agencies in Sydney.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
It is possible, and does happen from time to time, but if I’m honest, I believe far better outcomes are achieved when I am in the studio. This is mainly due to do with clearer communication and awareness with the broader team as well as it being a good environment for working efficiently.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I personally value work-life balance and have always worked with boundaries between both to ensure work is the focus in business hours and that real life can be enjoyed guilt-free outside traditional business hours. As a result, I do not work on weekends or after hours at all.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Yes, I have increased the amount of physical activity I do and have prioritised this over work-related tasks where possible. I feel this helps me perform better when I am working because I am clearer mentally and feel better in terms of general health.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Not really, I prefer to just listen to music and go for a walk to unwind. It’s about doing whatever makes you happy, and again, this just keeps my mind fresh.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
Phone and earphones.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
I don’t think the who matters as much as what they have to say.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Don’t live your life through your work or you’ll miss out on living your real life!
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