10 years ago, in February of 2014, The Creative Pack gathered for the very first time. We were 3 team members strong, and we lived by the mantra ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’. In fact, that message hung on the wall, over our desks in the form of an old Thrift shop painting. A $10 upcycle, and a worthy investment – a reminder that balance is key. One decade later (3,652 ½ days to be exact), we sat down as a team to relish in our success and reflect on our journey as a female-owned, creative business. And with much gratitude, here are the takeaways. 10 tips we’d like to pass on to you:

1 Be a Connector – Focus on the people

TCP Example: We attend trade shows for both our industry (Design*) and the industry we serve (CPG Food & Beverage, packaging, private label, retail**) 

*Even more specific AIGA conferences and events, HOW, ADOBE MAX etc.

**Expo West, Fancy Food show East & West, PLMA (private label manufacturers show)

2 Get Comfortable with Failure 

TCP Example: Not every project or vision we have goes smoothly, we try to learn from our mistakes and put into action new steps to prevent something form happening twice. Ultimately, it’s not the mistake but how you handle it that matters most = growth.

3 Learn Your Business Values, and Learn how to hold Boundaries to Protect Them

We have brand values from 2014 that still hold true today – Integrity, Passion, Respect for others, Teamwork, A will to succeed, Fairness, Friendship, Harmony. The ultimate vision for TCP was to create a great place to work – a place you ACTUALLY want to go every day with people you enjoy being around.

4 Vulnerability (We know, Yuck!) But it’s the key to connection, even in Business. Put yourself out there, ask for help, do something that scares you that you’ve been avoiding. 

A few years ago, our team challenged Danielle to share her experience more publicly, despite being scared of public speaking. She started saying yes to podcast interviews, speaking engagements, writing articles – sharing her voice with the world. Her experience as a female business owner, a working Mum (she’s still British at heart), and a design leader all layer together to create a uniquely valuable story that deserves to be heard. Just like yours!

Don’t know where to start? Here’s our HACK – Practice with your clients first (or a team member) – discuss a successful project together interview-style. Pre-record the topic to combat nerves. Remember: Practice makes permanent NOT perfect.

5 Find Yourself a Boot Camp Buddy – Mentors lead to self-growth

Have people who you can share ideas with, beyond your team. Danielle is part of a bootcamp group/cohort, a networking group and I am inspired by business leaders in other industries. Yes, it takes time out of your work week, but we promise it’s worth it.

6 Set Goals for your Future self AND your Company. Then create a plan to achieve!

We try to do goals quarterly as a team. We start by reflecting on what we have already achieved and then plan new ones, even big lofty ones. We put ‘own our own studio space’ on the list 10 years, then 8 years later it became a reality! Faster than we could have imagined.

7 Invest in your Team – Company culture is important (we love working together). 

This is a big one for us! TCP strongly believes in supporting the individual development of each team member. The TCP schedule can be jam-packed, but Danielle always carves out time every month for each team member to sit with her and catch up. As a team we are always trying to find ways to sharpen skills. We try to partake in different training & events throughout the year! But sometimes it is as simple as inviting a designer on a client call to gain some client-facing experience. Other times, team members take the initiative and find courses they’d like to try. We like to invest in young design talent through internships too. Fun Fact: 2 of our past design interns are now full-time team members! We also just respect the heck out of each other, and recognize we each have a full life outside of the office too. That means supporting each other through all sorts of life changes (engagements, weddings, babies, unique travel opportunities, buying their first home or moving out of home). It comes back to creating a workplace people want to go to everyday.

8 Be part of your Community.

Some ways we do this – Giving back through local initiatives, hiring from local design schools, supporting local businesses and clients who impact the neighborhood, engage and sponsor local sports teams!

9 Be Ready to Pivot, Change can be good.

Change is guaranteed and nothing is permanent. We all experienced this first hand during the Pandemic – covid changed our ways of working, connecting, and living. TCP shifted everything in 2020, and we continued on with all of our team members working from home (because people first!). We cancelled our lease on our studio space. We juggled at-home school, childcare, dog walking while we worked. Like the rest of the world, we went from talking in person to strictly Zoom. It was a bumpy, unpredictable ride but we came out the other side more resilient than ever. We are still mostly remote, but have our own studio space again. We adapted our business from serving 1-2 clients to 10-20, some on a global scale.

10 Stay the course – Work hard, play hard

Be consistent, be the team your clients want to work with, enjoy work and when you sign off enjoy separating from work and doing things that bring you joy. Fill that cup, because all you have is today!

Thanks again to all who have helped us reach this exciting milestone. Are you a small business? A young design team? A female-led company? We all have hurdles, so we’re wondering…What are some of the things you have learned along the way?