Most of the marketing and PR professionals I know around here work for themselves or for small firms. The advantages are many, as these businesses can adapt quickly, don’t have to worry too much about their image being ruined by a maverick employee and often are more happy with their jobs because they simply don’t work with or hire people they don’t like.
But the disadvantages are many. These small companies can’t usually compete for large contracts that requires teams of workers – no matter how great their freelancer stable may be – and often have a harder time gaining any sort of recognition for their work in industry related award shows or functions.
Most freelancers and small companies would tell you the disadvantages really don’t matter. They live comfortably, work with clients they like and get to create campaigns they actually believe in. They become specialized, and are often hired for their specific talents. In this social, intimate, and very customized industry we all now work in, what happens when the individual skills of the small business just CAN’T be taught to someone else?
How do you teach someone to lobby like Jason Rose? Write speeches like David Leibowitz? Work in but not directly for a company like Kathy Sacks? I’m not sure the answer is more training, more sharing or more collaboration, as some talents and skills just can’t be taught. Jerry Maguire told us years ago that the answer was fewer clients and less money.
I’m not sure if I want to believe Jerry Maguire. No one wants to take less money, and it’s fun to have lots of varied clients. It gives each of us a chance to showcase what we can do and every once in a while, break through with something really fun.
But Jerry Maguire knew his personalized approach COULDN’T scale. It was impossible. While it certainly worked out for him (yes, I know it’s a movie, but suspend some disbelief here), is this approach to business really what more people should expect in the future?
As someone who is usually hired for my specific take on issues (yeah, it does happen), I’m always curious as to how other freelancers or small companies plan on continuing to offer their niche service without compromising the very reputation on which they were hired.
Are you?
7 Comments on “The problem with scale – remember Jerry Maguire?”
TD, I wholeheartedly agree with you and Jerry Maguire on this one. My whole solo practice for 10 years was built on fewer clients and less money — and it was right for me and I did get hired for my specialty. And I knew it couldn’t scale and I was OK with that — that’s why I never went after big clients or government contracts.
So why did I give it up to go back to a corporate gig? For one I was bored, but more importantly I saw (and see) the writing on the wall. PR has changed and my skills were less critical to success. Hell, I know a lot about social media but if it were my business I’d hire you not me. That’s a hard thing to come to terms with. But I like to think I’m a step ahead of everyone else in knowing my limitations. I suppose if you wanted to get on TV more or be written about in newspapers you’d hire me over you. But who wants to be on TV or in newspapers anymore?
Hi Tyler,
I have been wrestling with this exact question myself lately. Business is growing, but I can’t do it all myself, and whatever my magic touch is (I didn’t think I had one) it’s been difficult to transfer it to my staff so that they can get the same results. Frankly, I prefer the more clients and more money paradigm, but I learned it doesn’t work that way. Let me know when you figure out the answer, then we can all live happily ever after.
This is exactly why I started the Arizona Independents= Communicators and Creatives tribe. So indie business people in their narrow niches could expand their breadth and scope of business through virtual teams. The best of both worlds.
I must say I have joyously pursued my solo PR and word-of-mouth strategy niche for 15 years now, keeping at bay the headaches of growth, including managing and training staff. I have no desire to “build an empire,” but I am interested in pursuing the work I want, wherever it is. Luckily, I can do that by aligning with other experts. My virtual teams are comprised of self-motivated entrepreneurs with their own bottom lines to meet, which keeps my supervision to a minimum.
For example, a few years ago, I brought on four other indie pros to help me manage employee communication during On Semi’s worldwide computer mainframe migration project. I was able to bring in exactly the right skilled, knowledgeable and reliable subcontractors to manage all the communication needed over several months.
In my opinion, this is not an either/or situation. I’m ALL about following your dream, and that simply requires inspiration, collaborative use of the resources around you, and strategic action.
This is exactly why I started the Arizona Independent Communicators and Creatives tribe. So indie business people in their narrow niches could expand their breadth and scope of business through virtual teams. The best of both worlds.
I must say I have joyously pursued my solo PR and word-of-mouth strategy niche for 15 years now, keeping at bay the headaches of growth, including managing and training staff. I have no desire to “build an empire,” but I am interested in pursuing the work I want, wherever it is. Luckily, I can do that by aligning with other experts. My virtual teams are comprised of self-motivated entrepreneurs with their own bottom lines to meet, which keeps my supervision to a minimum.
For example, a few years ago, I brought on four other indie pros to help me manage employee communication during On Semi’s worldwide computer mainframe migration project. I was able to bring in exactly the right skilled, knowledgeable and reliable subcontractors to manage all the communication needed over several months.
In my opinion, this is not an either/or situation. I’m ALL about following your dream, and that simply requires inspiration, collaborative use of the resources around you, and strategic action.
I think this is an excellent issue to bring up. In a city where most small firms have that intimate and personal relationship with their clients and are able to give them that specialized work, it becomes harder to expand without jeopardizing what makes your work unique.
I think its important when hiring new workers to take on a bigger load of clients, to not necessarily stress the specific skills but the personality of your brand. Stressing skills that compliment your own will help bring a new fresh outlook to the team. Its impossible to clone yourself or another work to continue with consistency but it is possible to have someone compliment your skills and bring what you lack to create a cohesive group who can take on more clients.
Sorry for the double post above….trying to fix a typo.
P.S. Just as a fun note, did you know I did the PR to attract 15,000 extras to Sun Devil Stadium for the filming of football scenes for Jerry Maguire? Every extra got a cardboard “buddy” cutout, to make it look like more people. Ah, those Hollywood tricksters. :oD
The lesson of Jerry Maguire is that when you’re the best, scale is irrelevant.
Many of the indies I encounter don’t have a guiding strategy driving their business development — they float client to client and do different things for each one. They can’t articulate their business proposition beyond the last TV hit they got or the mish mash of past clients they worked on. It’s a hamster wheel. And they get paid too little as a result.
You hit it Tyler. The best get specific and stay specific. They are true to their key skills or brand. They know who they’re going after. I, as the client, know exactly how I’d hire them and exactly what I’d have them do. Until the rest figure this out, the fuckin’ zoo’s closed.