There. That’s it. Our big, sweeping, trademarkable agency philosophy.

Armed with this clear-eyed sense of purpose, the folks at Venables Bell + Partners tend to be a bit more Honest + Fearless than your typical agency folk.

Honest will point out a potential logic flaw in a presentation, or tell you the deadline’s unreasonable with a straight face. But Fearless, that’s where things get interesting. Fearless gives Honest its punch, its power, its breakthrough ability. Honest will admit the Emperor is wise and respected. Fearless points at him and tells him he’s naked. Honest seeks a truthful solution. Fearless will upend applecarts, defy categories and hit reset buttons to deliver it.

We are also Honest & Fearless with ourselves. This results in relationships that can withstand lively debate. It fosters real collaboration. It leads to transparency – in fact, there are almost no solid walls at our agency. It cuts egos down at the knees and allows intelligence to win the day. And it led us to develop a highly calibrated asshole detector. So none of those types slip through the doors and poison the do-right punch.

Honest & Fearless is who we are. It’s the kind of work we do. It’s the type of business we run. And you know what else? It’s the company we like to keep.

We must confess, however, that Honest & Fearless would be neutered, benign nothings without one simple foundational element: Independence. The purity of our purpose would sure get murky if we were forced to decide between doing right by our colleagues and clients or by some faceless shareholders.

Intentions do seem soft and malleable, but make no mistake: like the road less traveled, they make all the difference.