Meet Scott Harkey | Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Harkey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, how do you think about risk?
I’m a big fan of history. If you look back at some of the world’s biggest brands, they hit big and capitalize on their exceptional growth by finding the exact moment that they have a high percentage of succeeding, and they make big moves. I like poker for that reason – it’s all about calculating the percentage of the hand you have and being able to read other people. You should know when to hold, but if you have a fantastic hand, go all in. Be willing to lose, and go all in again. You won’t necessarily win every time, but when you do it’s a game changer. With that said though: I’m a big risk taker, so I surround myself with team members that temper that risk. At the end of the day, you’re an entrepreneur, not a gambler. Make sure you analyze your risks from all angles.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m the CEO of The Harkey Group, a holding company with five businesses under its umbrella: an integrated advertising agency, a strategic communications powerhouse, a top-tier social media content lab, a specialized travel and hospitality boutique agency, and an award-winning production company. The companies under The Harkey Group cover everything from travel marketing to production to social media content creation. Co-founding the mothership advertising agency, O.H. Partners, was nowhere near easy. We were first working out of a kitchen, trying to secure clients and create moving work. I’d seen other agencies’ work while I was working for CBS radio and my cousin was in the advertising business. I talked to him, and then several agencies, and figured I’d give it a try. I found out through these conversations that it’s possible to do well in this business. The industry fits my personality perfectly. It rewarded unconventional thinking and creativity, but also strategy and business. The idea that I could marry those swayed me. I didn’t have a college degree, so many people didn’t want to hire me. I had to start my own. There’s something about the creative business that’s fulfilling. To be able to do commercial art, to inspire someone to buy something. To invoke action or emotion in any capacity is rewarding. I know it’s a cliche, but my success really has come down to the people I’ve built up around me. I have this thing I call the 3Vs: visions, values, and vibes. You and your team have to align on a shared vision. You have to have the same values, and you have to stay disciplined on those values. Being strict is the key with that. Vibes is the pillar people miss most frequently. You can have someone with good vision and values, but the vibes are just off. If something is off energetically, you have to pay attention to that. It’s your intuition. I have three people in my leadership team I’ve known for twenty five years each, and we work well together because we have that trust, and we share values and a vision.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First, I don’t think any trip to Southern California is complete without a trip to Javier’s. There’s fantastic Mexican food in SoCal, and you have to take advantage of it while you’re there.

I’m a surfer, so I’d take my friend to the Trestles or Salt Creek for a surf. I love South Laguna, and swinging by the Newport Yacht Club. Laguna Beach has world class mountain biking. We’d spend an afternoon doing that, and after we’d visit that trolley you can bar hop from. I’d also have them take the ferry out to Catalina Island. If my friend has young kids, I’d recommend a trip to DisneyLand. But if it’s a kid-free trip, a night time trip to DisneyLand isn’t a bad deal either.

I love Manhattan Beach and SugarFish. If you’re up in LA, I love Élephante in Santa Monica. I’d go to some of the comedy clubs on Sunset, and then grab a group of friends and do Karaoke in K-Town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d have to shout out Ken McElroy. He’s written quite a few books on real estate investing, and he encouraged me to be an entrepreneur years ago. He’s the type of person that’s at the top of his game, and he was willing to send the ladder back down. He got me involved in an organization geared towards entrepreneurs, and he helped me understand the patience it takes to build a company and a brand. That organization gave me a community of businesspeople that I could exchange recipes of success with. Over time, I came to understand the language of business. Most importantly, he taught me how to be not just a marketer, but a businessman.

Website: https://www.theharkeygroup.com

Instagram: scottharkey

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottharkey/

Twitter: https://x.com/sharkeyaz