Month: April 2019

All the time we get the question: What made you guys want to start your own digital creative shop? 

Our answer is simple: We wanted to work on fun projects with cool people. 

And, well, here we are. 

We get to go to work with people we like every day. We get to work on only the kinds of projects we want to work on. We get to try new things, learn new things, and decide which new things are awesome, and which new things we do not like. 

We also get to flex some muscle in terms of our own experiences, successes, training, and talent. I don’t know at what point after starting a new business where it happens that you look around and think to yourself: “we belong in this room. we are creative. we do great work. we know design and we can work our way around some hefty technical challenges. we bring a lot of value to our clients in an unassuming and fun way. we’re good at this.” 

We get to take on new roles. We get to learn the ins and outs of running a small business. We manage our own books, hire people, send invoices, pay bills, file taxes, pay rent, license software, sharpen new skills, and use new tools. We own the whole process, and while sometimes that can feel a little overwhelming, the feeling of ownership and true investment is unmatched in terms of motivating us to deliver the best work we possibly can. Our names are all over it. It’s work for hire…but it’s also for pride. 

We work out schedules, secure conference call numbers, and decide whether puppy PLB can come back because he peed on the floor (twice – sorry, Jesse!) 

We manage big projects and sophisticated clients. We have established relationships with large agency and media and technology partners. We know the creative rules and best practices. We’re also current, technically savvy, and know exactly when to bring in a subject matter expert to deliver the perfect guidance for a client.

We know and are learning so many things that have helped us see so much success as Fresh. As we continue to evolve, we keep focused on learning new things and staying tuned into the reasons why we started this whole thing in the first place: work on fun projects with cool people and deliver outstanding creative work.

Focusing on these five things can help ensure that your project stays focused on the true picture of success and is executed the right way. As your team works through the details of coordinating a complex web design, creative activation, rebrand or other major marketing-related project – remember to stay focused and get your Spring Cleaning done right. 

• Think it through from the business perspective – Why are we doing this? What business needs will this address? How will this impact my business when it’s complete (and also – how will this impact my business as its in progress?) 
• Spend the time distilling exactly the project you want to complete. Write down the goal and the details that will show that the project has reached success. It may sound cheesy, but simple answering the question, “what does success look like for this project?” is a really solid way to make sure you have alignment. 
• Ask yourself whether you have the resources internally to execute the project. If you don’t (or are unsure), are you willing to hire or commit to the right external resources to get it done? All too often, companies skimp on this and end up spending more time and money on projects than if they had just ensured the right resources ahead of time. 
• …Speaking of time: Respect it. Good work takes time. Great work can’t be rushed; Rush equals risk. It’s just not worth it. Work with experienced people you trust and listen when they tell you how long something will or should take. 
• Stay flexible; Ask questions. Projects with lots of moving parts are prone to change. It’s natural – and in many cases, the changes are positive, as they are results of an in-depth discovery activities that provide an actual picture of what’s going on. Be open to updated approaches and new solutions. At each point or phase of the project, ask, Does this still get us to our definition of success? Does this provide important info we can use in other areas of our organization? Does this make things better?