Why creativity is the new currency for small businesses

creativity

I was still in high school when I started my career as a freelance videographer and photographer, so it’s fair to say that creativity has always been a big part of my working life. However, as my career progressed, I found working by myself difficult; I was yearning for the creative collaboration that I had with my peers in high school. Hence, it wasn’t long before I joined a creative shared space (before the days of WeWork and the like). There, I witnessed the power of creativity in a group setting, where the potential for problem-solving and peer feedback added immense value.

Shortly after, a few of these peers and I noticed a growing niche between full-scale video production and freelancers. We found there was a strength in numbers (even if only two or three people) that gave us an edge, it was the perfect balance between varied creative perspectives while still offering flexibility. So, we took the plunge and started a business, finding clients to be very receptive.

Gone are the days where businesses get ahead by flaunting their wealth by how flashy their pitches are and how grand the production is. Now, the big brands are looking for small businesses with out-of-the-box thinking that will elevate their brand and make them stand out from the crowd. They’re spending time deep-diving into the creatives out there, to find the most unique and exciting ideas to solve their problems.

Creativity has now become a small business’s strongest asset, their biggest strength in competing against the big agencies and getting themselves in front. As a business owner, this has become one of the primary focuses when recruiting, ensuring the team is made up of a group of creatives that all bring something different to the table, but together, form a strong offering. In order to remain competitive, we need to remain creative. That’s the currency we’re now trading in.

Fast forward to today, our team may have grown in size and so too have our offerings, but our core belief in problem-solving through creativity and collaboration remains the same. Our clients come to us not only because they know we can deliver high-quality work, but also because of our eagerness to think outside that proverbial box and find creative ways to add value to all we deliver.

While applying creativity in a business might seem par for the course, the creativity I’m talking about extends beyond a canvas and outside the view of a lens. The value-added through creative thinking can be utilised in businesses of any kind. And if the past 18 months has taught us all anything, it’s that the future is uncertain and only through resilience, can we thrive. So, who are the creative thinkers in your team?