The importance of a strong support team
By HGB , Dec 21 2016
Surrounding yourself with good people, who support you, is the best business decision you’ll ever make. HGB’s strategic director, Jacqui Gage-Brown introduces her A team.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” Helen Keller
Sitting back laughing with a group of ladies, after what turned out to be a sweaty game of laser tag at Hinterland Adventures, had me reflecting on why you need to have good people around you.
Life is about happiness. And to achieve happiness you must surround yourself with the right people.
At HGB, we’re proud to say we have the right people, but who they are may surprise you.
#1.The partners
Ben Gage-Brown and Dan Harcourt are two very important partners of HGB. These devoted husbands are the right people to support Kylie and I on a daily basis. Whether it’s taking the kids to school so we can get to our early morning swim or breakfast meeting, or taking us out for dinner at the end of a long week, these lads enable us to have balance in our lives and for that we are truly grateful.
#2. The ‘other’ partner
No, I don’t mean we are having an affair. The other partner in my life is Kylie Harcourt, my business partner.
When in business, who you do business with is extremely important. Our motto is “We work with people who believe what we believe” and I am very lucky that Kylie believes what I believe. This makes our duo stronger, the successes all the more rewarding and the good times that much better.
#3. The team
A team can be split into two sections 1) the frontline team and 2) the support team.
The frontline team are the people who are out there interacting. Here at HGB, that’s our lead account director, Sarah Crocker.
Sarah is fantastic at crossing t’s and dotting i’s. She has a great sense of humour and cares strongly about her clients, working tirelessly to make sure their needs are met. Whether it’s briefing work into our creative team or critiquing work that has come back from the studio, Sarah puts her client hat on and does an outstanding job.
Our designers – Caz, Katrina, Catherine. These girls have flair. Ask Nathan from Dynamo Events how great these ladies are to work with. Nathan can come in, sit down with anyone of the team and work through the changes required for his next event programme or sponsorship proposal. They can transform a website, give an eNewsletter a new lease of life and create an infographic that talks to customers.
Creative Ann – our amazing content director Ann. Ann is a gem. Whether it’s on-site at SPCA Waikato or at the True Colours House, Ann is a warm and gentle individual whose loving nature is drawn into the content we produce. Ann can take a small amount of roughly written notes and craft a well-articulated statement or key message that clients are rapt with.
Maria – our HubSpot guru. As a fresh marketing graduate, Maria has progressed from working in an extremely messy desk space to being a well-organised individual. She has come a long way in understanding the importance of listening to client requests, interpreting and delivering job briefs, and ultimately getting results. Our recent St Paul’s enrolment campaigns were testament to Maria’s ability to work collaboratively with both our team and our client to create workflow automation, landing pages, and other required assets to ensure a successful outcome.
In the backline is Mel, our Office Manager extraordinaire. From greeting clients and taking important messages, through to managing accounts and everything in between, Mel is a superstar, the glue that holds us together and she does it all with a smile on her face.
#4.The advisors
It’s fair to say that establishing HGB and building it up over the last three years, has been a real learning curve for Kylie and I. In those early days we managed to scrape by, winging it at times and making sound decisions at others (thankfully all of it has paid off). But as HGB has grown, so have the challenges, which is why we’ve established an advisory board. This team of experts meet us at the crack of dawn, respond to emails at all hours, and offer strategic guidance and governance that is simple invaluable. We are learning so much from them, which isn’t only benefiting our business but our clients’ businesses as well.
#5.The family
While HGB feels like a family, we are also lucky to have our real family involved in our daily lives too. I am so fortunate to have my mum pick up my boys every Thursday and cook us a lovely homemade meal. It is this type of support and the support of my sisters, in-laws and extended family that makes life possible and adds to the happiness factor.
So, who’s in your team?