How people power helped ex-Crow succeed in his second career

CHRIS Knights knows better than most what can be gained from surrounding yourself with the right people.

The former Adelaide and Richmond player enjoyed the best of his 11 AFL seasons while lining up on a half-forward flank opposite Crows great Andrew McLeod.

Knights booted 43 goals during the 2009 campaign as his accurate, penetrating kick became an attacking weapon and the Crows led by captain Simon Goodwin reached a semi-final.

Adelaide's season ended at that point, with a gut-wrenching defeat to Collingwood, but Knights' body of work over 20 matches was proof that he could have a significant impact at the top level.

It would remain Knights' high point in football, as injuries soon derailed his career.

"I'll never forget that period. I'm grateful I can say that I was able to achieve those numbers," Knights said.

"The frustrating thing was, after that, I was able to get to that level again, but then I just kept getting injured. I knew that was the new standard that I could play at, that I would expect out of myself, and that my teammates could expect of me.

"But as fate and my body would have it, I just wasn't able to maintain that level physically. Every footballer has their own journey, their own story, and mine was quite challenging from that point on."

Knights didn't have a back-up plan, as such, for football even as injuries began to take their toll.

But he had an entrepreneurial spirit and launched digital marketing agency Zib Digital in 2010 when aged 23 and still playing with the Crows.

Zib Digital now has more than 100 people working within the group with headquarters in Melbourne and offices in Brisbane, Adelaide and New Zealand.

The agency has developed campaigns for more than 1,000 brands across the globe including Puma, Melbourne Victory FC and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce.

"The timing for starting the business was ideal, where digital marketing, and the way that businesses were advertising, was starting to change," Knights said.

"We position ourselves in the market as a commercial-first digital agency. We're solving commercial problems through digital marketing, not the other way around.

"And my philosophy from the start was similar to when I played AFL – surround yourself with the very best people, have high standards and expectations, and align the business with clients that share the same values."

Knights has been Zib Digital chief executive for more than a decade, after a general manager ran the business while he focused on playing football.

The 39-year-old maintains strong links to his first career as part of a past players business group created by former Geelong and Adelaide forward James Podsiadly, which includes Brad Johnson and new Sydney boss Matthew Pavlich.

"'Pods' recognised that there are a lot of ex-footballers who have got themselves involved in businesses, some at start-ups, with a set of skills that professional environments can give athletes, while being aware that we haven't had operational experience," Knights said.

"It's fantastic to be able to associate with so many good people, share some of our challenges and help each other out.

"I've worked with most of them and provided some digital services, so it has been beneficial for business. But it's just as good for when we catch up once a year at Gather Round."

The luckless Knights only managed 26 matches for the Crows in the three years after his standout season as injuries mounted up.

A historic move to Richmond – as the first player to switch clubs through free agency at the end of 2012 – was meant to give Knights a fresh start with a side he sensed was on the rise.

But a nasty knee injury early in his first season with the Tigers, and multiple setbacks that followed, effectively wiped out his first two years at the club.

Knights' attention eventually turned more toward Zib Digital, and the then 28-year-old announced halfway through the 2015 campaign that he would retire at the end of the season.

Less than a month later, he tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

"As good as the game had been for me and as passionate as I was about the club, playing the best football that I could and having success with the team, I just couldn't continue to push when I felt like my body would just keep letting me down," Knights said.

"But I always try to position myself as a student of the game, and my game's now shifted into business."

SIX POINTERS

Biggest achievement? Outside of building a market-leading digital agency, being a father.

Biggest lesson? Don't be afraid to make mistakes, that is where growth and wisdom come from.

Biggest break in business? The rise of digital marketing while we were scaling our business.

Business superpower? Bringing good people together.

Admired leader? I have had the privilege to play and work with so many inspiring leaders that it is hard to name one.

Best advice carried across from football to business? Embrace the challenges. If you want to achieve something special, then, by nature, it's going to be very challenging.