Questions to Hold Season Two: Unpacking Partnership

This year on the Questions to Hold podcast, we will kick off with the "Unpacking Partnership" Series. This collection of episodes will feature some of our mentors, partners, and collaborators, where we dive into some of the biggest questions and mysteries in partnership.

In the first episode, BWB co-owners, Casey and Caitlin, celebrate and honor BWB’s 5 year business anniversary, and share why 2024 is the year they're going all in on partnership. 

In this episode you'll hear:

• what Casey and Caitlin have learned about partnership over the last five years
• how the partnerUP scholarship program came to be
• why they are expanding their creative collective and partner network
• the new training and workshop series they are launching for agencies 

Connect with BWB

• wearebwb.com
• @we.are.bwb
• Casey LinkedIN
• Cait LinkedIN
• BWB Linkedin

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Podcast Song: Holding you by Prigida
Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/holding-you
License code: CELWR55ONTDIFRSS

Transcript

Casey:  Welcome to the Questions to Hold podcast. I'm your host and BWB founder, Casey Carroll. In a world that often praises answers over questions, the act of holding a question is an act of resistance, presence, and devotion. In this podcast, I hold space for discussion at the intersection of life's biggest questions and our personal and professional worlds.

These are honest conversations with progressive leaders dedicated to questioning our institutions, igniting change, and provoking new possibilities. 

Join me for my next discussion.

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Caitlin: Hello, everyone. Thanks for tuning in today. We're really excited to be launching a new campaign for 2024. We are calling the partner up campaign. And if you're wondering what that means, well, stay tuned for the next couple of minutes, because we're going to fill you in. But in all seriousness, this is something that has been really, you know, in the works for a while now. We've been talking about this initiative and actually doing a lot of these pieces for years. But now we're bringing it all together under one beautiful umbrella as we like to do. So without further ado, here we go. Let's talk.

Casey: And it's really exciting because me and Caitlin have been reflecting. We're celebrating five years in business, which is as many small business owners know is a really critical, amazing milestone, um, to get through those first couple years and then into what starts to happen around year three in terms of like growth and refinement and learnings and pivots and all of that also happening through the pandemic. It really feels important to be celebrating this milestone by really doubling down on what has been our mission and vision, as Caitlin said, and also just celebrating what it is that's made me and Caitlin together, our partnership so special, what's made BWB so special, and really what's been a pillar of our work with almost all of our clients, which is focusing more on relationships on collaboration, on partnership and on skilled community building from a really human and honest, and I don't know, a lens based on integrity versus more focused on like digital marketing and some of the other campaigns that can happen, which is there's nothing wrong with that, that, There's a place for everything, but it's just nice to kind of be pulling it all together and celebrating in this way by honoring sometimes the simple, but most important things like partnership and collaboration and shared vision.

And I will say a lot of times we get reflected back about how special our partnership is and nobody knows how special our partnership is like us. We are grateful for each other every single day, and we express that to each other and there's literally no way we could have a business without one another or a life or the creative vision or what we've been able to accomplish and the personal development we've been able to achieve just by being with each other on this journey. So we're equally as grateful and partnership doesn't have to mean officially being business partners in the way that Caitlin and I, there's so many ways that partnership looks in terms of like supporting two companies, supporting each other, two people supporting each other. So that's really what this 2024 is about us highlighting through a few three, really three key initiatives that we're going to be launching this year, starting right now. 

Caitlin: Yes, and I wanted to also just mention that it's interesting how, looking back on the last five years, it feels like it all made sense, like we had this, you know, story map and game plan and everything really benchmarked out for the, for a couple years. And really, that's not true. When Casey and I started working together, it was really because we, We had a lot of mutual respect for one another and we had worked together in a previous life and really enjoyed each other's company. You know, always had a lot to talk about personally and professionally and what I think is really cool is the business and our partnership in the business is celebrating five years, but our friendship and work we've been doing together is has been going on for many more years than that. And for our story, partnership felt extremely, at least to me, extremely like, well, yeah, duh, that's the logical next step. We're already working together. We're already, you know, enjoying the building that we're doing together. Just want to acknowledge that. Like you said, partnership can look a lot of different ways.

It can also originate and happen a lot of different ways. You know, we didn't go out seeking a partner to build a business. We were working together and it made a lot of sense and it was a great fit. So, just want to acknowledge the kind of like organic journey that it has that we have been on, but the business has been on.

Casey: In five years and there's a lot more to come and before we preview and kind of announce the the big three things we want to be focused on this year, I did also want to say because we are intentionally kind of introducing this on the podcast, what we're hoping to do this season on the podcast is also really talk about and start to untangle partnership a little bit more thoughtfully and sit with those questions. You know, when Caitlin and I were coming up with and solidifying this idea, we were saying it's a beautiful opportunity for us to really reflect on some of the real brass tacks of what's made our partnership work so well. Um, because there is that organic nature to it and there's real skill that goes into it in terms of communication, in terms of how to co-create in terms of, uh, leaving the ego at the door, , um, and being in a shared place. We call this a lot, we talk about this a lot and this'll be a theme of the work around like improv. Caitlin's brought that into my world, but about being in this like, yes, and? place together, so the podcast this season is going to be focused on that. And it's also going to be bringing in voices from partners, as Caitlin said, that are from all different ways that we've partnered within BWB that have helped us grow on our journey and have helped the other person also grow on their journey, whether that's personally or in business or both. So that's really the theme of the podcast this year also, which feels just so exciting to dive into some of those big questions, because of course we could sit here and answer that. And also, there's so much we're curious about of like, "what is it that's made our partnership so special, so successful, like, can we really take a look at" that versus just being like, "wow, we're so lucky", which is true, but really start to untangle it, look at it, um, and, and get really curious about it and be with the questions of it. Because I think it's such an important part of any business that we're going to be talking about. So stay tuned for all the episodes that are be coming around that 

Caitlin: With all that said, our first big thing that we wanted to name and announce is that we are going to be really refining our creative and strategic referral network, or that's how we're calling it on our end. Basically, one other piece of partnership is that it's not always just me and Casey, right? There's tons of other partners. We work with some of you listening. Probably are our partner or will be, but really looking at how can we expand our, what we call our creative collective, our group of creative collaborators, whether that's strategists, videographers, our podcast editor, Courtney, and looking at how we can really work together to grow all of our businesses, you know, respectively and collectively. When we were in the early stages of deciding to partner together, one of the things that Casey and I put out on the table was all of our goals, you know, what were the things that we cared about personally? What did we want to see in our business? And one of the things that was really important to both of us was, not just in our own business, getting off the ground and growing and, and helping people, but also helping other folks grow their businesses that we worked with. So, for example, anybody who's touching any of the BWB business as a specialist, how can they grow their own businesses? And how can we be a support in doing that? And I don't just mean referring them a project or hiring them to do something, but how can we help empower them to grow their own businesses and follow whatever path they might be on? So we are taking a big look at our, you know, partnership network, and we're going to put some things in place this year to help really level all of that up a little bit and think about how we can play a role in other people's. businesses and help them grow. But also what are the things that, you know, they may take on in total in terms of work products that maybe BWB doesn't do anymore. So stay tuned. 

Casey: Yeah. And that network can also include things like ritualists. Um, just to say there is a lot of like the, the brand strategy or marketing support or things like, uh, graphic designers and artists that are in our collective, but there are also a lot of like coaches or strategists or Enneagram specialists, you know, people who are really looking at leadership development from a holistic lens. So if that's you, reach out to us.. Or maybe we're already talking to you, so it's exciting. But the collective can always expand into in so many directions in that way as well. So we're excited about that. And then number two, um, the second thing we're really focusing on, which feels so full circle and so exciting for Caitlin and I, in some ways is that we're really focusing on launching a training and workshop series tailored towards other agencies, I would say, you know, midsize, even large scale agencies, organizations and businesses, and the trainings are going to be focused on a lot of what we're talking about here, what over the last five years, we've been really knowing sets us apart and BWB apart as it relates to the combination of creativity, confidence and collaboration and what we've been honing and refining in that area. And Caitlin and I met at a large global communications agency, and we've always kind of wanted to find our way back in a productive way back into those agencies where we can be training and facilitating conversation and regrouping with the creative teams and the new business teams and the development teams and the communications teams in house to really determine how can we like level up a whole lead agency experience and a creative experience in that way and bring in some of that personal development work that we're really known for as well. So kind of like focusing on the personal within the collective and then doing that inside agencies. And we've worked with so many, you know, we've maintained so many contacts from our years working in those agencies, um, and Caitlin was longer in the agency world than I am too, so she's got such a vast network in there, but then we've also worked with other folks who have, um, left agencies to start their own agencies. And that's part of our referral network that we were just talking about. So, as I said, like. All these are, are porous, they're, none of these are siloed. All these are like porous areas that we've worked in and we're just excited to now be introducing this new training series that brings us back into the agency environment with what we've been learning to see how we can support a leveling up of the industry overall.

Caitlin: Yeah, and it's interesting because this is something we've already been doing, not in a, let's say like formalized workshop series type of format, but when we were looking back on the last couple years and listing out all the different workshops that we've created and all the different, you know, we've had organizations reach out and say, "can you come present to my employee resource group and help us talk about confidence in the workplace or becoming a self aware leader or connecting to our needs in the workplace?". We made a big list, Casey and I, and there's about 10 different workshops that we've been collaborating on with agency partners already. So our hope is to expand that out this year and reach more folks honestly. We talk a lot about intrapreneurship, we talk a lot about growth. And, um, using our voices. And so we will be sharing in the next couple of weeks some of our workshop series that we're hoping to partner with all of you on.

Casey: Okay. And lastly, this is something that we started. We even put the whole idea together. We put it all up. We even put it on our website months ago because we've been so excited about this initiative and we're calling it our Partner Up scholarship program. And our hope is that this creates a much larger legacy for us, you know, that expands beyond this year and all of these things that we're talking about really, we're kind of introducing them in 2024, but we hope that they continue to expand beyond that. But the scholarship program has been something that's been near and dear to our hearts, to the mission of BWB for a long time. And we have done a lot of work where we've given either pro bono work or free low, no cost opportunities for different people and different businesses, because we really believe that we want everybody's, we call it when one of us rises, all of us rise. And that's not just some marketing speak. We really want to make sure that other small business owners and entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs have what they need to be able to succeed in the market. We want to do everything we can to remove financial barriers around that. And something that we really realized over the last couple of years in doing that is "how can we make the biggest impact?" So we had a lot of different ways and we always donate 3 percent of our profits and we will continue to do those kinds of initiatives and all of those are listed out on our website, but we started to really think about consolidating it into one program that would make a bigger impact for somebody. So this is really an opportunity for one entrepreneur to work with BWB on an ongoing basis to take their idea. Maybe you have a fully formed idea, or you have kind of a half baked idea, or you have like. A little dream that's following you that you know is time to make real wherever you're at in that process. The goal is to work with you to bring it all the way through into reality, which is absolutely, you know, something that we know is a gift of ours individually and then of BWB as a business. So the applications are starting to be accepted today. And we really welcome the application. We welcome you to spread the word. Um, there's a lot more details on the website, which we'll link in the show notes here, and we'll be sending out anywhere where we're sharing this recording as well. And again, it's just to support everything from like a coaching mentorship level to a design level, to a strategy level, to a go to market level. Um, it's about kind of like taking that whole picture and walking side by side with somebody through the process to get it all the way into the reality and then walking alongside with them as they start to integrate it into the market. And we're just so excited because as we've said, we've done this in different pieces and to be on a full scope of a journey with somebody feels like such a gift and we can't wait to determine who that person's going to be this year.

Caitlin: Yes. And our hope is that we'll get, we'll start accepting applications today and that we will be announcing. In early to mid March, who the partner will be. So I know people may have questions about, you know, what it entails, what type of commitment and things like that. And so it is a six month commitment and we will work with whoever gets selected. We'll work with them to determine, you know, cadence of calls or frequency of calls, depending on, you know, what their idea may be, but it's going to be really fun because I think we're going to. Not just work together, but we're going to become friends and get to really, um, get to know each other. And I think in addition to the coaching and all the design services and pieces that Casey was naming, you know, we have a, a lot of really cool trainings and workshops in our client hub on our website. We have a retreat coming up in April. We have a lot of exciting things going on, so there's just going to be more access to all of those as well. And we want to learn from whoever that person may be. So who knows, maybe they'll become part of our creative collective that we were talking about. I think lots of opportunities for business growth and visibility through the program that we're going to be kicking off soon.

Casey: So if you know someone or you are that someone, Apply. We can't wait to hear from you, because even if maybe you're not the application that's accepted, there's still a lot of ways that we might be able to support or that that might introduce and open doors to new things for us as well. So please reach out, please apply, please spread the word and also thank you for being our partners, anybody listening here in so many ways, Caitlin and I would absolutely consider you a partner, an integral part of what we're doing, of what's happening out in the world for the shift in business towards, you know, I think what we call our economy of care, but of really the change in business that we're hoping to see. So thank you for listening. Thank you for being our partners. And here's to a year of partnering up. 

Caitlin: Take care.

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Casey: Thank you for listening to the Questions to Hold podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and are leaving the conversation with way more questions than answers.

I invite you to build a more meaningful relationship with yourself and the world around you through the simple yet profound act of holding questions. Visit questionstohold.com and wearebwb.com to learn more about this practice, our Questions to Hold card deck, and explore more conversations. See you there.