From the Desk of Melis Steiner, Co-Founder
BrandPartners was truly built for the modern business with an agile, remote-first structure that is highly customizable. Dainon and I developed this company during the Great Recession when the business environment was going through a significant and, in many ways, permanent change. Corporate budgets dropped rapidly, the advertising landscape shifted toward social media and influencers, office spaces shrunk or were eliminated, hiring practices were dramatically altered, and companies from tech to fashion were operating super lean.
Every business owner we spoke with was actively re-evaluating how their company would structure and market itself going forward. This was the first significant shift toward remote work, contractors, maximum efficiency, and minimum overhead that I witnessed since graduating from business school. Though, we now know it was not the last.
The Demand for Generalists
With budgets low and jobs scarce, it seemed like an insane time to try to start a company. But, we saw this challenge as an opportunity for an entirely new way to do business. We became generalists in ways companies desperately needed and specialists in the branding skills they had the most challenging time creating in-house or hiring for. Companies could no longer hire 20 specialists responsible for a piece of the puzzle. They needed one company to handle all 20 things, and we were that company.
Custom-Built to Maximize Value
We started by contributing our subject matter expertise, which was already broader than most of our competitors and the reason we won contracts. Starting out, we could strategize and execute nearly every step of building a brand from scratch—not just from a design perspective but through communications, PR, sales, marketing, consulting, strategy, and even technology implementation and integration. Over time, we learned which services companies needed and where we could make the most considerable impact. Then, we filled any gaps in our skill set and provided that as part of our standard offering.
Agility Is A Superpower
Ultimately, we became stronger by accepting the challenge and developing for the future of business rather than the past. Keeping that in mind, I advise business leaders to welcome change, view problems as opportunities for growth, and embrace the chance to pivot when they know it is best. Agility and a willingness to adapt are superpowers—especially in today's rapidly evolving business environment.
To The Future
Now that I have shared a bit about our past, I would like to thank those of you who will become part of our future. I have immense gratitude for our wonderful clients and incredibly talented and dedicated team who helped us get to where we are today. And I am excited to head toward an even brighter future together.