“That’s why clients want to work with us. We’re not focused on meeting an arbitrary quota of blog posts. We’re thinking about, ‘How is this going to impact your business? How do we turn this into an investment?’ That’s what content marketing should be – an investment rather than an expense.” – Tyler Hakes
When most freelancers think about creative agencies, they think about low-paying, soul-sucking content mills that use people up and spit them out. But in this episode, I’ll introduce you to someone who is committed to doing things differently.
Tyler Hakes is the Strategy Director and Founder of Optimist, a growth-focused content marketing agency that was built using a unique collective ownership model. Tyler’s desire is to help his team achieve autonomy, mastery, and purpose, an approach that is quickly establishing Optimist as one of the best agencies in the industry.
Join us for our conversation, where we discuss:
→Tyler’s journey from in house growth marketer to agency owner
→Why your brand story is the key to getting buy-in from your team, and how it empowers them to take ownership over their work
→How to manage a global team of freelancers without resorting to micromanagement
→Why transparency with your team is a good thing, and how to build a stronger business through honesty
→The importance of inviting your team to take part in community rather than requiring participation
→Expanding your community to include people who are attracted to your work and to create a foundation for future revenue streams
→Why helping your competitors be more like you is a potential growth strategy
“Authenticity is addictive. In a world that is increasingly skeptical, people respond to messages they can relate to.” – Tiffany A. Ingle
Authenticity is Addictive is a weekly digital publication that explores entrepreneurship and marketing through the lens of brand, within the context of relationship. Join our community to get our latest newsletters, podcast episodes, and trainings delivered straight to your inbox.
Tyler Hakes knows how to use his company’s brand story to get buy-in from the freelancers who partner with his agency. He provided us a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create a culture that empowers a team to take responsibility for their work and feel good in the process.
Tyler shared so many great tips with us in this episode.
Here are some key takeaways we covered in our conversation:
- Agency owners can avoid the temptation to micromanage by establishing an environment that promotes ownership and parameters that support your team so that they can successfully complete their work.
- Transparency with your team about the ups and downs of agency growth leads to the buy in needed for a sense of autonomy over one’s work.
- Expand your community by creating opportunities to stay connected with people who are attracted to your work, but aren’t in a position to immediately partner with you.
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