Collective Over Agency

When Maytal and I first discussed working on a project together, in all honesty I didn't have a clear vision of what it would be. It took months of calls, texts and email threads back and forth before we were able to pinpoint what we were trying to accomplish. Our years of working in corporate marketing allowed us to identify specific hurdles that we encountered time and time again, and the devastating impact that COVID-19 had on local businesses was enough to set the wheels in motion.

The idea of operating as an agency didn't feel right for us. What we wanted to do was much more than providing a service, and so we decided that a 'collective' was the best way forward. It was a very intentional choice we made, and I want to share why launching in this way means so much.

Flexibility Is Key

Minimizing the hierarchy in our business structure allows for a more flexible approach to getting things done. Maytal and I are the Co-Founders, but also the only permanent employees of the company. Our preference is to bring on specialists to work alongside us in executing projects or completing regular administrative tasks on a strict needs-only basis, allowing us to operate at a relatively low cost. This is the cost savings we pass directly along to our clients, while still offering them top quality business support.

Diversity is More Than Colour

It's important to us that we have a culturally diverse group of professionals available to assign work, but we also want to be sure that we are tapping into a talent pool that can

bring life experience to the table. Not everyone went from high school, to post secondary education, to a nice internship and then landed their dream job. And we're okay with that. We want those non traditional trajectories on our team. Bring your bumps and bruises, your failures and your lessons learned. In this post- COVID era of business we strongly believe those are the people who will help ignite our local economy.

Everybody Hurts Sometimes

Over the course of the past year and a half we've all seen a shop we love close their doors for good, or received a 'I no longer work here' bounce back email from a colleague that has been let go without the chance to say goodbye. For me personally, that hurt in a way that I couldn't quite find words to describe. Work has always been such a source of joy for me because I sincerely love what I do, and have been lucky enough to meet such incredibly talented people along the way. Knowing that so many of them were now unemployed was tough to comprehend, and my mind was constantly thinking of them and their families.

My parents immigrated to Toronto from Guyana in the early 80s, and BOTH started their own business to establish themselves in this country. My mother, a seamstress and fashion designer by day while going to school for book-keeping at night. And my father, a mechanic by trade with no college degree. Those small businesses matured into careers, set them up to buy their first home, and provided financially to raise three children and five grandchildren. So when I see boarded up storefronts, and read about people looking for new job opportunities - I don't take it lightly. Whether it be the clients we want to help reach their marketing goals, or the specialists we bring on to freelance with us; more than anything Press Pause Collective is about opportunity. Creating them, giving them, and keeping them alive.

If you’re ready for your next opportunity, connect with us today at hello@presspausecollective.com

Thanks for reading,

Menisha