by Thembe Khumalo

Are you tired of taking every job that comes your way, offering discounts, and working on assignments you're not specialized in? It's time to break free from the scarcity mindset, stop working ridiculous hours, and dealing with abusive clients. Let's dive into why this approach doesn't work.

Accepting every job that comes your way can lead to resentment, as you break your back investing time and energy into activities you have no business doing - either because you are not good at them, or because they are not part of your core offering. Some projects end up costing more than they bring in, and others can be so painful to execute that the money you make from them isn't worth it in the end. Interestingly, the clients who demand the biggest discounts often turn out to be the most difficult to deal with.

In the digital age, we have the gift of choosing how we live and how we work. In his book, the Four-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris introduces us to the notion that we could in fact access the rewards of retirement, long before we hit the age where we are considered redundant. The internet helps us to that.

1. Your reality is valid

For me and my consulting firm, there never a grand plan to build a pan-African organisation serving the non-profit, fintech and women’s right sectors, amongst others. It was simply about working with what was available. We identified clients that needed our services, we had the skills, but no money for offices and salaries and no appetite or titles. We wanted freedom to work when we needed to but also to attend to other pressing issues when they arose - a young family, ageing parents, outside interests, and the drive to continue to improve ourselves, our knowledge, and our experiences. These desires simply didn’t fit into a nine to five business model.

2. Build as You fly

We built the business as we went along. We didn’t start out with a structure, a code, or a way of working. In fact, our consultants’ handbook only came out this year - seven years after recruiting our first consultants. What we did have though, was a shared core skill which was communication - something we each excelled at in different ways. And we also had a shared set of values - we knew we wanted to do good work (not just to make money), we wanted to have impact beyond the bottom line, and we wanted to create an environment where relationships were rewarding, respectful and relaxed. So that’s what we built.

3. Things We Got Right

We of course made a lot of mistakes, and we’re still making a lot of them, but here are somethings we got right:

The Intention:

We knew from the start that even though we live in Zimbabwe, we would work across Africa. So, we set out with the intention of recruiting clients from any country on the continent that wanted our services We didn’t position ourselves as a Zimbabwean firm or in any other way behave like we were limit by geographic boundaries. Another aspect of our intention was that we set high standards for ourselves and each other and committed ourselves to delivering exceptional work.

The Niche:

We made sure to focus on a specific, small niche, which was an important part of our brand story. We knew there were underserviced SMEs and non-profits that could benefit from our skills. In the process, we accidentally attracted some very nice blue-chip clients, and we’re more than happy to serve them. We were clear about staying true to our niche and not pretending to be something we're not - so we never refer to ourselves as an ad agency or participate in any traditional ad industry activities. We are a consulting firm that happens to specialize in brand and communication strategy. We gave ourselves permission to be something unique and unheard of before.

The People:

Our team is made up of a mix of tried and tested skills from across the communication spectrum - digital whiz kids happily hang out with traditional media gurus and practitioners. Strategists defer to creators and planners when they need to. We have embraced different personalities and by the grace of God, different work ethics, because our team has everything from GenZ to millennials to borderline baby boomers. Everyone is loved, appreciated and valued.

The Culture:

We built a culture that promotes collaboration because, frankly, we couldn’t get our work done without it. We treated each team member as a whole person, not just a set of skills so we always paid tribute to what was going on at home. Most importantly I think (to team members at least, we made fun an irrevocable part of our DNA. Our team meetings often involved laughing till we cried, regular barbecues and occasional road trips.

The MO (Modus Operandi):

We were practicing remote work before it became mainstream. So, we introduced and designed the tools we needed to be effective as we went along. When the pandemic came by and work dwindled, we stayed connected, with weekly meetings recording record attendance levels and we grappled together to figured out what the new post-COVID world might look like. Post-pandemic, new members joined the team and others committed to new relationships they built during lockdown. We briefly experimented with office space but went back to our original remote work design within months. We pivoted some of our systems and realised that we’d gone beyond merely being a team- we’ve become a family: a place where you have a seat at the table, regardless of performance.

While we all have the power to design the life and work, we desire, it requires tremendous courage. It’s not everyone who is cut out for that level of freedom or responsibility. You need to identify where you truly shine, find some people with complimentary skills and similar values, and design a system for finding and serving the clients that need your particular solutions. Consider what's contributed to building your professional reputation, and always remember your value.

Thembe Khumalo is one of Zimbabwe’s leading voices when it comes to brand-building, business growth and personal development. A winner of multiple awards both at home and in the region, she is the founder and Managing Director of Brandbuilder, a high-performance brand strategy firm that helps entrepreneurial leaders and SMEs achieve visibility and growth through comprehensive brand strategy, creative execution and social media content strategies. Known for her clarity and courage, Thembe Khumalo’s leadership track record includes board positions in listed, unlisted and not-for-profit entities. With more than 20 years in the media and communication industry, she delivers a network of high-level relationships across many industries in several African countries. | thembekhumalo.com | www.brandtobuild.co | askus@brandtobuild.co