“Have you considered the gems hidden within your network?”
This was the advice I offered a friend who messaged our group chat in search of a marketing agency. As a prominent brand owner, she was ready to explore the next chapter of her product offering. Though she had her sights set on working with a high-priced creative team, I had another idea.
While I know there’s deep value in outsourcing support when looking to scale, as we mature in business, we can quickly forget how to tap into the wells of our own creativity—the only thing many of us had in our come up. When dreams were new, and access was limited, we learned to build future empires with guerilla marketing, and saw the value in networking across as a means of building upwards. And this time was no different.
Long before our respective businesses blossomed into what they are today, she and I built our brands on the backs of each other. We shared resources, held events together, and leaned on each other for more than just moral support. Truth be told, the foundation my brand sits on wouldn’t have been possible without her as my creative collaborator all those years ago. And I feel blessed to know she’s still an integral part of my life.
In response to her text that day, I reminded her that there were crucial steps that needed to be considered before forking out tens of thousands of dollars to hire a company who didn’t understand the ethos of what she’d created, or the sacred relationship she’d built with her growing audience base.
My suggestion: Create a focus group of your peers.
I encouraged her to create an online focus group, and with prepared questions and a mood board in hand, she could create space for us to brainstorm new ideas together. Surrounded by women she knew and admired, those who knew and admired her just the same, she’d be able to benefit from innovative perspectives that would have remained hidden amongst memes and article links.
So, let me ask you this, what gems are hidden in your group chats?
For many of us, the support we’re often in search of already exists in our chats, our communities, and our professional networks. These spaces are filled with the women we turn to for upliftment and support, but beyond that, they also possess the diverse experiences, insights, and feedback we need.
If you take the time to look around you, I’m sure you’ll find that you’re already surrounded by an entire sea of brilliant women who, as experts in their respective fields, are ready to be your thought-partners and collaborators. By strategically bringing them together, what you’re left with, in turn, is a creative agency of your own.