Workweek

This week, at the Austin A-List Awards presented by SXSW & Opportunity Austin, Workweek was named the top Series A startup. Hearing our name called was surreal—there were so many impressive companies in the room that winning honestly took me by surprise. After a few days to let it sink in, I saw what the judges saw: it’s all about our team. Their commitment and expertise have driven us forward every step of the way over the past three years. From day one, Becca and I were set on building something different. We’ve focused on hiring the best people, working with world-class creators, sticking to our values, and taking on big challenges headfirst. This award feels like a nod to that journey, and I’m grateful for it. Looking ahead, I’m more motivated than ever. We're still in the early innings of what we're building, and we believe in our mission of creating a world where every business leader finds connection, support, and fun at work. And if that sounds appealing to you, we are hiring. Check out our website for our openings!

✅ podcasts ✅ that make you better at your job ✅ and are (actually) fun

𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻'𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗴, 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝟳𝟴𝟮𝟳𝟲.𝟵 — 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅’𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝗮𝗦 (𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Infinant | Grow Your Bank) Here’s a question: How many banks entered BaaS over the last five years because they thought it was the best way to serve their end customers? I’m sure all of the executives at those banks would *say* that’s why they got into it, but come on. We know that’s not true for most of them, right? The reason most banks (particularly small community banks) got into BaaS was because it was an accessible path to revenue and growth. That’s completely understandable. However, the challenge with that motivation is that it can lead to short-term decisions that might not serve you well in the long term. For example, if your goal is to chase that sweet, sweet BaaS revenue, you might be tempted to work with a BaaS middleware platform that promises to provide all of the technology and program management services that you need and to handle all of the partner acquisition work so that you don’t have to go try to make new friends at those silly fintech conferences. In the short term, that might make sense. However, in the long term, you’re doing yourself a disservice. By relying on a third party to bring you new partners, you are forgoing the opportunity to build up those business development muscles yourself. By outsourcing day-to-day compliance and program management work, you are inviting A TON of extra regulatory scrutiny. And by selecting a technology platform to facilitate specific use cases, you are closing off the possibility of pursuing new business opportunities outside of those use cases.  Your motivation matters. The most successful BaaS banks see BaaS as just another digital channel to better service their target customers. They invest with appropriately broad long-term ambitions, and that lens allows them to justify spending more on sales and marketing, compliance, and technology that is flexible enough and cost-effective enough to adapt with them as the market changes and new opportunities (embedded finance, digital spin-off brands, fintech franchising, etc.) emerge. I’m curious if you’ve noticed this same dynamic. Drop a comment below and let me know what you think 👇 And if you are interested in a solution that can manage a “multi-lane” strategy for strategies like BaaS, embedded finance, and digital spin-off brands, all on a single platform that layers on top of your legacy core, reach out to Infinant. https://lnkd.in/gy2ei4fH 

🚨If you’re an HR professional, you’re a model, too! Not a supermodel on the runway, but a model that all employees can look to for values and best practices. For example, there’s a stereotype that HR professionals don’t take PTO—which we all know isn’t true, but it’s important to model that in our actions. At PI, we actively promote taking time to recharge with our PTO policy. We understand that taking a break is important for mental and physical wellness, which is why it’s one of our values. Companies who have similar values and policies report happier employees and higher retention. I make sure my team knows this and that I take time off, too. I even got to visit Bali a few years ago because of our policies. It’s one thing to talk about values, but as a manager and HR professional, you have to live out those values, too. When people see you do something good for yourself, it gives them permission to do it, too. #PTO #values #peopleops #HR

Live - virtual - conferences are where it’s at! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a great in-person conference, the energy, the networking, but let’s be real: the travel, costs, late nights, and early mornings can be both exciting and exhausting. This past month, I had the chance to join Marketingland by The Marketing Millennials (who I already adore) and the Guru conference hosted by GURU Media Hub (which I now adore) WOW! First off, these were 100% free, with top-tier experts generously sharing their knowledge to help us up our marketing game. We covered everything from email strategies to AI, KPIs, and the challenges IOS 18 is about to throw our way—seriously, ALL the acronyms! And let’s not forget the networking. In just three days, I connected with more amazing people than I ever have at in-person events. With over 20,000 attendees (yes, twenty thousand+ !), there was no shortage of peers to chat with. 👋 Hi y'all. And a HUGE shoutout to the DJ at both events! They kept the energy high and the vibe on point, making sure everyone stayed engaged and pumped throughout the sessions. The flexibility? Amazing. I could jump in and out of sessions as needed, turning what was a normal workday into a learning marathon. Instead of music in my ears, I had real, valuable brain dumps from people I could listen to all day. The nuggets of insight and trend confirmations were everything I needed to navigate what’s coming next. These events push you to step outside your comfort zone… so I did! I met Kate Fernandes , who invited me to be a guest on her podcast. It was terrifying, but I said YES. I did it! Was I perfect? Nope. I tend to overshare, but hey, you’re not great the first time at anything, right? I learned a lot, and I’ll definitely be doing it again. Kate’s supportive demeanor made it all easier. She’s a gem in the marketing world, and if you haven’t connected with her yet, you should! Reach out to her and share your story on Marketing with Chai. You’ll have an amazing time and support someone who’s truly making a difference in our industry. Key takeaway: We aren’t alone in this journey. We may be in different industries, we might even be competitors, but during these events, we’re one big family trying to better our industry, together. And lastly, this is your sign! Get involved, sign up, and attend a virtual conference. You’ll learn, connect, and grow in ways you didn’t expect!

Well I didn’t expect that! I attended MarketingLand. A virtual B2B marketing festival for marketers by marketers. Founder Daniel Murray created it for B2B marketers, because that’s where it started with The Marketing Millennials. Just to clarify, MarketingLand is NOT a conference or event, it’s a #festival! 🎉 Felt like I gate crashed my sister’s party, but lineup was so good I couldn’t resist. Fun facts: 😁Me & 12,000+ global marketers registered 😁3 distinct lands: BrandLand, ContentLand & RevenueLand 😁16x speakers 😁6.5 hours of live content 😁Launched private membership 😁1x pumped up DJ It started with the man who needs no introductions 🥁 Rory Sutherland. His talk was intense & fast-paced, packed with brilliant insights that he masterfully wove into compelling stories. My key takeaways from his session “Finding marketing solutions to most problems” & the impact of behavioural science:   💯When marketing works no one remembers it started off with marketing 💥 💯Great ideas fail because no one knows how to sell them properly 💯Progress starts because someone notices something 🚕 Perfect example is Uber maps: Founder insight - can’t make taxi’s arrive faster but with invention of gps & live mapping waiting for taxi’s less frustrating once you can track taxi location = 90% of their anxiety disappears 💯Spend more time & resources to see things others haven’t 💯Nothing can beat curiosity… keep on asking ‘why’ 💯Optimise the discovery & observation mode 🐝 Nature does discovery really well, specifically bees Bees understand investment resource not just efficiency (exploit) but into discovery (exploratory) too 💯Explore & exploit are complimentary trade off, we need both 💯Marketers should set 5-20% budget aside on discovery aka what’s new, what do we know that competitors don’t know => gold dust 💯Life has complex relationship, the thing & the perspective of the thing 💊 Another spot on example is #NightNurse: Consumers complained it made them fall asleep during the day. Marketer saw this as opportunity (not a problem) & flipped the product as a night time consumption instead -> Introduced Night nurse successful brand 💯Change context, what was a problem is now an advantage 💯Focus doing one thing brilliantly, don’t have to bench against competitors 💯Principle of value marketing two ways to change world: directly or the way they see the world A lot to unpack in a short amount of time, but thrilled I had the chance to hear his perspective on marketing solving problems & behavioural science. Sadly, I had to miss the rest for personal reasons but here’s the agenda https://lnkd.in/e-RhaEy8 My question to B2C marketers, what do you think of a an equivalent virtual MarketingLand festival for B2C? Would you attend & who would you want as guest speakers? 🔊 #B2CMarketing #VirtualMarketingFestival

Last week Workweek hosted our first ever client upfronts event, and I am SO proud of our turnout. We rolled out new products & packages, and I had the pleasure of interviewing Veronica Medina, MBA and Rachel Schonwald for a live case study of HiBob’s partnership with Hebba Youssef’s brand. What stood out to me from this convo: - we have a true partnership, they challenge us and we challenge them, to ultimately come up with the best campaign solution together. - long term beats & peaks marketing is the best way to create trust with our creator brands audiences. Short term campaigns are attention grabbing at best, but do not aid in long term value creation for a brand. - our creators are our client’s ICP’s. When the content is coming from actual experts in the role, the audience that is learning from the expert is much more engaged, which makes for a really strong advertiser experience. S/o to our clients that made the trip, our creators that make partnerships for our clients so valuable, as well as Callie Myers, Erin Phillips Hamad, Adam Ryan, Jeff Konyk, Kate Mountz, Lindsey Quinn, Becca Sherman, and our team of BPs & AMs for making this a wonderful experience for all who attended. Can’t wait for what’s in store for us next year!

Took some time this morning to tune in on The Marketing Millennials: Marketing Land 2024 live event, and I’m walking away with some great insights about the future of marketing. A few takeaways that really resonated with me: 1️⃣ It’s no longer enough to focus solely on the technology or engineering behind your product or service. Instead, we should be asking: how can we combine a great product with additional services that address the broader challenges our customers face every day? Rory Sutherland made a great point about offering and advertising your solutions beyond the product itself. 2️⃣ Clients and customers are looking for 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 connections. It's time to push beyond just building a corporate brand—leaders, sales teams, recruiters, and marketers should also be focusing on building their personal brands too. People connect with people, and Amelia Sordell emphasized the importance of showing the human side of your team & business. 3️⃣ When it comes to marketing campaigns, don’t overlook the power of hype, demand, and legacy. These elements can create lasting impact, whether you’re running an event or curating a content strategy. Charlotte Mair hit the nail on the head with this one. Excited to bring these (& many more) ideas into consideration as we continue to explore how we can elevate our strategies moving forward. 🚀

Yesterday, I joined Virtual Marketingland 2024 organized by the amazing Daniel Murray, the man behind The Marketing Millennials. Wow, what an amazing event! The event was packed with actionable B2B marketing insights that got me thinking about strategies for the upcoming year. Here are some key takeaways that stood out: 1. Build your personal brand on LinkedIn. Be authentic, consistent, and actively engage with your audience—it's your competitive advantage. 2. People buy from people—humanize your brand. It’s simple but powerful. I think this is something we know but often forget. 3. Replicate your wins. Customers choose you for a reason—clear messaging, better UX/UI, or a seamless sign-up process. Focus on what you can control. 4. B2B emails need a shake-up. Forget using first names in subject lines—mention company names, testimonials, or industries to increase open rates. 5. 2024 is almost over—mention 2025 (next year) in your email campaigns for better conversion rates. 6. Urgency drives action when promoting webinars. Small changes like “Only a few spots left” or “First 100 get on-demand access” in subject lines can increase open rates by 40%. 7. Short articles, videos, and customer stories are the most effective today. Invest your resources here. 8. Capitalize on videos and memes to grow your audience—keeping things fun and relevant. 9. Maximize customer events. Collect feedback, check for product usage boosts after the event, recruit CAB members, and ask for input before the event to keep attendees invested. 10. Share your knowledge. Give value for free, and it will come back tenfold. I’m eager to start putting these lessons into action. A few standout sessions for me: - Psycho-Logical: Finding Marketing Solutions to Most Problems by Rory Sutherland - Your Personal Brand: Turn Your Personality into Your Competitive Advantage by Amelia Sordell 🔥 - How to Market Hard Products by Rebecca Shaddix and Tamara Grominsky - Why CMOs are obsessed with events. How to master events across the funnel by Julius Solaris - New B2B Email Tips That are GAME Changers by Jay Schwedelson - Living in a Zero-Click Marketing World by Amanda Natividad - An inspiring podcast episode with Ann Handley And a big thanks to all the amazing new connections who took the time to connect here on LinkedIn. Looking forward to staying in touch and growing together! 🙌 #marketingland #marketingbesties

ICYMI: I joined the incredible team at Workweek this week! First days are always exciting, but it's hard to top getting to hear directly from customers and meet amazing colleagues from all over the country at annual upfronts. Lots of gratitude to Adam, Becca, Callie, and Hebba for the warm and thoughtful welcome. Can't wait to make big things happen with this talented group!