In this post, soulful brand designer Karen Bennett, shares her experience of meeting folks and forming collaborations through The Outsiders.
The Outsiders came into my life at a time when I was still in the early days of dipping my toe into the Edinburgh networking scene. As someone who enjoys the outdoors and appreciates the benefits it can bring, physically, mentally and creatively, I was cautiously curious…
From the outset, I felt immediately welcomed by Katie and the others who’d come along, most of whom didn’t know each other. There’s definitely something about meeting new people outdoors that sparks a particular type of positive energy.
In fact I would go so far as to say that it’s a type of energy that just isn’t possible in any other setting!
You’re never short of something to talk about when you’re discovering (or rediscovering) places and breathing in the fresh air and I found myself to be less nervous than I usually am at more traditional, indoor networking events.
It was my second time on an The Outsiders excursion that I met Donna Green, a fellow creative and photographer. She already felt warmly familiar to me having previously connected and seen her posts on LinkedIn.
We felt immediately at ease together. I learned that Donna is originally from the Highlands of Scotland and has a degree in the Scottish Gaelic language; her love for both was instantly apparent (check out some of her stunning landscape photography of the Scottish Highlands on her social channels – it’s truly breathtaking!).
Although the number of people discovering and coming along to The Outsiders each month was growing exponentially, seeing Donna’s familiar face at the meet-ups started to became a little extra bit of reassurance for me and I always made a point of trying to get a wee chat in.
We even talked about some deep stuff, like my experiences growing up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I saw this as a testament to her friendly and approachable manner and knew I could trust sharing my story with her.
The more I chatted to Donna, the more I related to her as a person AND as a business owner…it felt like we shared similar values.
So I decided to pluck up the courage to ask if she would be interested in working on a collaboration together, offering a brand design and photography package rolled into one, for small business owners ready to elevate their brand presence and be seen!
I was delighted when Donna agreed that this would be a great idea too, and we got our heads together to look at how we both work, how we could streamline our services and what added value we could bring to clients through the collaboration.
As well as this, we also agreed to do a ‘skill swap’, so I’ve just completed a brand refresh for Donna and she offered her professional brand photography services in return…it’s a total win-win!
Of course, with our love of nature and the outdoors, we agreed that my first photography session would be outside! It felt like a lovely nod to how we first met and being outside for my session helped me relax into it.
It’s been exciting bringing this all together and I still can’t believe it wouldn’t have happened had we not met on that excursion with The Outsiders!
I’ve recently completed another branding project for fellow Outsider, Cara Catch, Operations Support Peacock, as she has relaunched with a bold new feel. We’ve had some lovely feedback on that project!
For me, it feels like the most natural way of doing business with others who share my values, and I’m so grateful to The Outsiders for bringing folks like us together.
I’m also glad to be a member of the The Outsiders community that’s been created – from connecting on LinkedIn, to being part of the WhatsApp group in which Katie posts with frequent gentle reminders to switch off and get outside (or indeed work outside if possible!).
It’s such a positive space where we are are all encouraged to share good news, outdoor pictures, ideas and business connection recommendations.
It’s such a joy to be a part of this group and I can truly guarantee you won’t find another community like it!
Explore Karen’s brand strategy and design work here: https://www.kb-graphicdesign.com/
Explore Donna’s photography here: https://www.donnagreenphotography.co.uk/
Leave a Reply