A different kind of teaming

This post is to share how I’m building Habelo in this ‘gig-economy’ and express some gratitude for my great partners and their work, this week especially. Happy Thankgiving.

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One of my favorite aspects of the different roles I’ve played in my career has been leading teams and learning from (and working with) great people. And while entrepreneurship can be lonely, I’m discovering and enjoying a new and different kind of teamwork which has it’s own flavor of fulfillment for me.

Being “Pre-Revenue” and a solo-Founder means that right now, I don’t have the funding or budget to hire anybody into the company full-time. No surprise. That said, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have teammates.

Here are a few ways that I’m building the brand with the support and talent of others (beyond straight up favors, the generous spirit of friends and family, and certain critical project-based bodies of work that I’ve contracted out).

Value Exchange + Reciprocity

A big source of help right now is coming from other people who are also looking for help, too, that I can provide in return. For example, here are a few (of many) ways I’m exchanging value with friends that I’m doing work with now:

• Brand perspective and marketing advice (me) to a fractional finance pro (who also has worked as a global executive at a major Beauty and Personal Care company) for opinions and perspective on how I’m thinking about my business model and economics.
• Brand perspective and marketing advice (me) to an entrepreneur — who is also an engineer — in exchange for product development design-support.
• Brand perspective and marketing advice (me) to a COO at a small personal care brand (without a CMO on their roster) in exchange for ideas, perspective, insights and introductions to suppliers and other resources.
• Start-up and beauty-industry work experience (me) to a super-talented former colleague in exchange for some critical support needed for pre-launch planning, marketing and operations.

I’m even talking with a small, talented marketing agency who is interested in broadening their client base and portfolio of creative work. Who knows — I might be able to get some much-needed help on Habelo in exchange for helping them build their portfolio and case studies.

The Gig-Economy

Beyond having a few key people that I’m continuously working with (a formulating cosmetic chemist, a designer, legal support, etc.), I’ve had a lot of luck getting project based work done with the gig economy platforms that have emerged.

I’ve found amazing people to work with in all corners of the globe, to get all sorts of work done, on both Fiverr and Upwork. Via these platforms, I have obtained:

• Legal assistance (patent research)
• 3D renderings
• 3D printing
• Deck preparation and design
• Engineering project help, and more.

You’ll be surprised at what you can find on either of these sites — and the great people able to pinch hit — when you need it.

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Finally, from all I’ve heard, read, and can see, being an entrepreneur can be a very lonely journey. (In fact, just Google ‘Entrepreneur + Loneliness’ and you’ll see that there are a gazillion results.)

If you are on that road, too, find comfort in the gazillion search results to know that ‘you aren’t alone’ and how important it is for anyone courageous enough to take this path to find community and connect with others who can help and relate.

This week, I’m especially Thankful for everyone who is supporting me so far on the Habelo journey.

Happy Thanksgiving.