The Assemblist Letter 44 - The Art Of Relationships
PHOTOS VIA THE ASSEMBLIST
RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING FOR BRAND ASSEMBLY. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY WHERE OUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE OF GREAT VALUE TO THE BRANDS THAT DECIDE TO BE PART OF IT.
We all (including our employees) have worked very hard at acquiring and maintaining our relationships with our brands but also our clients and buyers. Building strong relationships is also based on trust… which is the key to longevity in what we do or for anyone that works in this industry really!
Building relationships is what we always talk about in our team meetings and our employees really work hard on establishing strong relationships and enjoy doing so. We are grateful for the business of our clients, the buyers that attend our markets and the brands that look to us for guidance on furthering their business. We have the best staff that truly cares about our community and those that are a part of it recognize it as a true support system. We all thrive on helping these designers succeed.
When it comes to building and maintaining relationships my advice would be:
1. The number one piece of advice for emerging designers is to be respectful of stores and buyers and their time and space... there is a fine line of how much communication is too much! It is much more important to be unique and creative in your approach. Buyers will respect this approach and it lays the groundwork for starting conversations and developing relationships.
2. Networking is also key - by some chance you might randomly be introduced to or bump into someone that can be helpful to your business immediately or down the road. This industry is very connected and news travels fast!
3. Collaboration is key! A brand can go further with a collaborative attitude rather than a competitive one.
In fact, the best possible example of how a relationship positively impacted both my career as well as Brand Assembly is how Alex (my partner in Brand Assembly) and I met. He was a service provider who helped me figure things out for the brands I was working for and that relationship continued over a few years at a few different companies we both worked at. He told me that he was always impressed by how hard I worked and he wished we could figure out a way to work together... here we are today! You never know who you are going to meet and how impactful that relationship can turn out to be.
In short, I treat others the way I would want to be treated. That goes for personal and professional relationships. It's key!
- HILLARY FRANCE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF BRAND ASSEMBLY
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