Small by Design - Core Values
One of the biggest things that inspires us as a team is the shared belief that what we do together truly can change the world.
This post is part of a ‘core values’ series that explains the shared beliefs that unify our team. I hope it helps you know get to know Conspire little better.
Jeremy Mumpower | Owner, Conspire
\ This is something we believe in:
SMALL BY DESIGN
It’s not an accident Conspire is small - it’s intentional.
Across the creative agency universe, there are certain paradigms that exist. They’re cliches really. Every industry has its own in fact. I’m sure you can think of a few gems right now without trying too hard.
I’ll give you my one of my large-agency favorites (and it’s translation) from our universe:
“We work hard, but we play hard!”
\ Translation: This job opportunity will require you to sacrifice your personal goals, aspirations, and well-being to the will of this company, but we'll give you beer in the office on Fridays.
This one-liner has been used to describe the ‘fun’ culture of roughly 50% of the agencies I’ve worked for (and heard about firsthand).
Naturally, when we set out to define our vision for Conspire almost 10 years ago, this was on the list of one of the things I decided we would never say.
“The opportunity is not to discover the perfect company for ourselves, but to build the perfect company for each other.“
\ Simon Sinek
In the last decade or so, we’ve seen revolution in our industries. A shift in the perception of small business capabilities in general and perhaps especially the way companies view creative agencies.
This is the era of the underdogs.
Largely gone are the days of judging an agency’s ability to deliver based on the over-inflated size of its team.
The beauty of being a part of a small business is that you get to be very close to the vision, and if you’re part of a good small business, that vision is likely still very pure.
At the core of what we offer our clients is the idea that together, we are building brands on purpose. That perspective is applied to every project we do, but also the Conspire brand itself - we’re truly built on purpose too.
\ Being small by design means a lot to us:
+ Personal - We care about the work, but we value the relationships just as much.
When clients work with Conspire, the same clever, funny, caring (and most times super good-looking) expert that pitches you ideas is also back in our studio captaining your project.
Nothing is handed off to a team of disconnected, less experienced junior practitioners and interns - they don’t exist. No bait and switch!
+ Focused - Every expert on our team has a very real understanding that our success is indelibly linked with the success of our clients.
We’re a team that has each expert in place for a reason. Each brings unique skills and experience for us to rely on. We are small, but we are not freelancers - we’re working hard when you’re working (not nights and weekends).
+ Honest - We have an open studio, which in itself is not unique. But it is aligned to the high degree of transparency we work with.
If there is a problem, let’s have a conversation. If we can be better, let’s accept responsibility. Internally with each-other, or externally with clients, it’s the same - We do what we say and say what we do.
+ Invested - We don’t take on a lot of clients, so we are careful to take on clients that are a great fit for us. In this way, we are very invested.
We feel that we have skin in the game with each client. We work hard to become your ‘fractional creative services department’.
Have a question? Want help identifying and articulating your brand’s core values? We’d love to hear from you: hello@conspire.agency.
