Meet Ben Hankin; Creative Director and Co-Founder of Affari. From two people in a bedroom, to a team of 19 in four different departments. Find out what matters to him and how he got here.
How did you find your way to Affari?
Prior to co-founding Affari, I actually worked as a graphic designer for a magazine publication that was based all around pets! I loved it because I got to spend lots of time with animals, we even had two dogs in the office! I gained great experience there as I travelled all over the UK and worked on photoshoots for big names. The beauty of it was that it was only me in the design team so I always got the opportunity to work on these projects.
Eventually, I decided it was time to pursue the dream of setting up my own graphic design company and departed. At that point, I was freelancing for around 6 months until I met Craig through a mutual friend, from then on my career goes into the beginning of Affari. It took a while to get there but co-founding a new business with a 6 month baby was definitely a huge achievement!
What are the three best things about yourself?
I would have to say that the first thing, is that I’m a practical thinker. Taking my experience and knowledge from the design industry, I can explore different and practical alternatives in lots of situations. This then ties in perfectly with the second best thing, my DIY skills, which I can use to create the ideas I often come up with at home! The third would be that I consider myself to be a cool dad!
What’s one of your best experiences?
Last year, myself, my wife Steph and son Jack were privileged enough to visit Disneyland. Leading up to the trip, we kept the whole thing a secret, as it was a surprise for Jack’s birthday (it was really difficult to not mention anything!).
On the morning we were flying out, we woke Jack up at 2am who was extremely confused and very tired! We sat him down and asked him to read out a card Steph had prepared with a lovely message, it was around the time he had really grasped how to read properly.
He managed to get half way through the card until he physically couldn’t speak as he was crying, it had dawned on him what was actually happening and he looked up to us and said “really?!?”. It was unforgettable as the shock, the joy and then the excitement was just priceless to see.
What other interests do you have other than Affari?
Having a design background, I should be saying visiting art galleries or sampling craft beers. But at the moment, I spend the vast majority of my time renovating my new house! I’ve been doing this for four months now, and there’s still four rooms to go… I think another 6 months and we will be there, hopefully. I always come up with radical ideas, for example, my challenge in summer is to build a hot tub completely from scratch… wish me luck!
What’s your favourite quote and why?
My favourite quote is from Peter Pan – “To die would be an awfully big adventure.” The reason behind it being my favourite is that it stems from the inner child, as we take things in life too seriously. I’ve actually considered getting it tattooed!
What’s #1 on your bucket list?
It’s quite simple but I would like to jump out of a plane! I’d like to do this because I have a phobia of heights. This is something that’s developed when growing up as it never used to bother me when I was a child. Once I went on a lads holiday and I stated we go no higher than the fourth floor of the hotel… they booked a room on the 17th floor. So to jump out of a plane would definitely conquer this and it would be crazy!
What’s the best book you’ve read?
I have to be honest I don’t read many books, I tend to use Audible whilst travelling or working as I seem to consume the content so much better by listening. But my favourite book is – How to Be F*cking Awesome by Dan Meredith.
The title of the book is an indication of what to expect so if you do not like explicit language then stray away! But if you would like to uncover 11 devastatingly powerful principles that you can apply immediately to start getting more of what you want, and less of what you don’t want, then give it a read!
If you had the opportunity to travel anywhere right now, where would it be?
If I was able to go to anywhere right now it would be China as I’d love to see the two different sides; to explore the contrast between the modern day society and then the roots/history would be amazing.
Who’s the person that inspires you the most?
The person who inspires me the most has to be my son, Jack. This is because he is confident, allowing nothing to bother him but at the same time, he’s very aware of other people and shows he’s caring and a good listener. Jack has taught me so much, what nobody else could, so I would definitely have to say him.
