What Theatre Taught Me About Running A Company
A few weeks ago I went to World Information Architecture Day, a global event geared towards information architects, user experience experts, developers, and designers. During one of the breaks, I was speaking to a developer. When I told them that I was a marketer, they seemed surprised that I was even in attendance. I guess when some people think of marketers in relation to the roles above, we’re sometimes perceived as the ideation people versus implementation. However, I told the developer that I believe it’s important to have a basic understanding of the different parts operating within the ecosystem you’re working within.
My company ZipFit helps men find perfect fitting jeans using proprietary algorithms. We’re not just a fashion company, were a fashion tech company. Meaning, I have to be able to communicate my ideas clearly to our tech team and believe me I’m not perfect at it, especially when my background isn’t in tech. However, I know the importance of having a basic level of understanding of what it is that our tech team is doing so I can clearly communicate my objectives and adjust expectations for what can be accomplished within a certain time frame.
“My obsession with understanding how different parts move in ecosystems started in high school theatre.”
I had the pleasure of being trained by an amazing woman, Dr. Navarro. Before we could begin, she had her students gain a basic knowledge of different roles performed for the production. Subtle roles that you never really think of as a member of the audience such as curtain pullers to the lighting team, were crucial elements in a productions success. Dr.Navarro’s objective was to help her students to be more mindful of the different parts operating in putting on our production to ensure that we not only understood our roles in relation to others but also make better decisions on stage.
Dr.Navarro’s method stuck with me. As an entrepreneur, you’re forced to wear many hats. In a startup with a lean team, I’m not just chief marketing officer. I’m also customer support, sales, buyer, graphic designer, tailoring assistant, or shipping personnel when need be. I’m happy to do it because as we continue to grow and expand our team, I’ll have a basic knowledge of what our new hires are doing and how significant their role is in our company’s success. Even the hats I can’t wear but are worn by others like our tech team, are still worth observing. When you understand your startups ecosystem and the different parts moving within it, you not only see the big picture you also become more effective and efficient in leading and running your company.
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