Taking the Work out of Work: Saoirse Richardson on being female co-founder of a creative agency collective
- laurenburke316
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
As co-founder of Egg, a UK-based boutique creative studio, Saoirse Richardson is in good company. Saoirse is actually one of five co-founders — the only female — who started an agency with a distinctive business model.
A cracking agency
Launched in 2020, her co-founders Nick Abrahams, Laurie Jackson, James Sanderson, and Richard Watters, alongside Saoirse, design standout creative in their “collective”-style agency— doing it in a way that benefits them as well as their clients.
What makes Egg different (aside from its memorable and pun-friendly name) is its collaborative, non-hierarchical, and frankly, no-BS model. Egg describes itself as a “creative studio that brings brands, products and experiences to life through a strong commitment to conceptual ideation, collaboration and experimentation.”
In short — Egg comes up with smashing creative concepts and does it in a way that makes you want to hire them to be your in-house team. Having worked with Egg, we know this to be true and can attest to the effectiveness of their model and the fun that is working with this team of dynamic creatives.
The Egg team has a breadth of experience across industries, but have found a sweet-spot in the adtech industry. Adtech is a crowded, complex and technical industry, often with an intangible product. Producing creative that tells a visual story about a tech-focused and sometimes invisible (e.g., data) product is a tremendous challenge, and Egg does it with apparent ease, although I am sure they will tell you it is anything but!
An adaptable business model
Saoirse’s journey to co-founder is not dissimilar from our other Female Founders interviewees in that she saw a unique opportunity and seized it. Saoirse hails from the events and branding space where she worked with her now co-founders. After Covid hit in 2020, despite the uncertain times, they were certain about one thing — the way they wanted to live and work was now vastly different than it was pre-Covid.
The more traditional structures were challenging during those times, so this seemed like the perfect chance to build a more “adaptable” business model, Saoirse said. She added, Covid times “made us think a bit differently about how our business was structured and what services we wanted to offer clients.”
While Saoirse was on maternity leave, “the guys” as she calls them (aka her co-founders) had set “something” up, and she was thrilled to be able to join them in what would eventually become Egg.
The most exciting part of the early days? “The unknown,” according to Saoirse. At this stage, “you never know what opportunities will come your way.” This excitement can be unnerving, she added, and as our other Female Founders have commented, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Saoirse said, “We have learnt a lot, and had some hard lessons.”
As with most businesses, the early days were volatile. The first year was “incredible,” with the second year being “bumpy.” Nevertheless, they persevered, and Saoirse credits their “joint love for the business and respect for each other pulled us together to work through it.”
A collaborative cooperative
When it comes to the highs and lows of business, one of Egg’s key principles is not to be scared to have those challenging conversations with each other. As five “equals” in the business, they operate like a cooperative, sharing any profit they make from projects. “We all bring different skills to the table” and are all equally responsible. “Having no hierarchy has removed work politics, which in previous roles in more traditional agencies has taken up so much headspace. We can just focus on doing great work with great people,” she says. This straightforward business model helps them do jobs efficiently and effectively, which ultimately benefits their clients.
Women helping women
On being a woman in a leadership role, Saoirse says that the best thing we can do is to “support each other and not shoot each other down” or “be pitted against one another.” There is enough success to go around for everyone, including women, and Saoirse’s approach is to support and rally around female peers. “We work with some really incredible women and seeing them progress through their careers is amazing,” she commented.
Taking the work out of work
When it comes to their projects, just like with her children, Saoirse can’t pick a favorite. “I actually love all of the projects we have worked on.” Saoirse is “really proud that we are seen as an extension of so many of our client teams,” which has really “taken the work out of work.”
After 5 years leading Egg, Saoirse says that could not go back to the traditional corporate structure. “The respect I have for my business partners and that they have for me is unlike any work set up I have had before. I am able to be the kind of parent I want to be, and my work and output does not suffer because I am happy and present,” she emphasized.
Parting thoughts
Her main takeaway for our readers is to “find people that can support you” when it comes to building a business, so you can build a work environment that you are always “happy and present in.”
Saoirse’s story tells us that regardless of your gender or life status that you can create something that is truly yours, and that non-hierarchical collaboration produces ample flexibility and creativity.
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We appreciate Saoirse’s openness about her journey and are looking forward to seeing the amazing work that her and her co-founders and business partners continue to produce. Check out Egg’s work or reach out to Saoirse at saoirse@egg.agency.
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