Sept. 9, 2019, 8 p.m.
Why I'm launching a new research/consulting studio called Little Futures
Tom Critchlow
TL;DR - Hi, I'm Tom Critchlow a strategy consultant. I do media design consulting and blog about being an indie consultant. But today I'm launching a new venture: Little Futures - a research/consultancy studio in partnership with Brian Dell. The first output is a new weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Keep reading for the why.
I've written before about the tensions of branding your consulting practice. In my post (from 2016!) I explain why I didn't launch a brand for my consulting practice:
I've written before about the tensions of branding your consulting practice. In my post (from 2016!) I explain why I didn't launch a brand for my consulting practice:Personal branding, especially for (gasp!) a marketing consultant is terrifying. How do you escape being that arrogant person while still appearing professional and capable of well-paid work? How do I avoid putting a ferrari or a photo of me skydiving on my about page?! (The answer it turns out is remarkably easy - you just don’t put a skydiving or ferrari photo on the page).
But - that was two years ago and my thinking has evolved. I've evolved. I've grown. I'm still growing...
The truth is that I'm a little more comfortable with the consulting life right now. I've been doing this almost five years and for the last two years I've worked almost exclusively with media organizations.
But complacency will kill you, and I'm keen to keep growing and evolving.
(aside: for a great analysis of the growth stages for an indie consultant check out this post from Venkatesh's project Art of Gig: the gigwork hierarchy of needs)
The reality is that our identities are actually fractured illusions anyway - so the right move is not to re-brand my consulting work (tomcritchlow consulting is still sticking around as is) but rather I'm launching a new venture - a fork in the identity portfolio to deliberately venture into new kinds of work and new industries.
The idea is to try and get new kinds of work, not just more of the same. To attempt a few sectoral boundary crossings:
The truth is that I'm a little more comfortable with the consulting life right now. I've been doing this almost five years and for the last two years I've worked almost exclusively with media organizations.
But complacency will kill you, and I'm keen to keep growing and evolving.
(aside: for a great analysis of the growth stages for an indie consultant check out this post from Venkatesh's project Art of Gig: the gigwork hierarchy of needs)
The reality is that our identities are actually fractured illusions anyway - so the right move is not to re-brand my consulting work (tomcritchlow consulting is still sticking around as is) but rather I'm launching a new venture - a fork in the identity portfolio to deliberately venture into new kinds of work and new industries.
The idea is to try and get new kinds of work, not just more of the same. To attempt a few sectoral boundary crossings:
Enter Little Futures
So I'm launching a new venture. A research & consultancy studio called Little Futures. It's a partnership and collaboration with Brian Dell - a close friend and one of the sharpest thinkers I know.
Although Brian isn't a *very online* person like I am you've already been impacted by his thinking because almost everything I write goes through a discussion phase between the two of us. Brian has helped me understand markets, startups and people better than I could have on my own.
Both Brian and I have worked across media, brand, startups, consulting, strategy and research and we're excited to combine this into a new thing. What shape that thing takes is still amorphous but the first output is a weekly email that will showcase our thinking and perspective. Sign up here.
As Brian said - "if your job is change, Little Futures might be the best way to get to the Big Future."
The first email went out this morning on the subject of Business Time:
Although Brian isn't a *very online* person like I am you've already been impacted by his thinking because almost everything I write goes through a discussion phase between the two of us. Brian has helped me understand markets, startups and people better than I could have on my own.
Both Brian and I have worked across media, brand, startups, consulting, strategy and research and we're excited to combine this into a new thing. What shape that thing takes is still amorphous but the first output is a weekly email that will showcase our thinking and perspective. Sign up here.
As Brian said - "if your job is change, Little Futures might be the best way to get to the Big Future."
The first email went out this morning on the subject of Business Time:
Little Futures 01 - Business Time
So I hope you'll join us and come along for the journey.
(*Note I had planned for this Tinyletter to be sent before the first Little Futures email went out but it turns out .club domains trip all kinds of interesting spam filters*)
Links
A few other goings on:- I started a blogchain with Brendan Schlagel on "Networked Communities". We're three posts in and I'm really enjoying the conversation. Start at the beginning.
- As a relatively new dad (soon to be dad of two!) this piece from Craig Mod destroyed me. "my father taught me not one single thing"
- I've really enjoyed following James Greig over the years - he's written some great things about independence but his most recent one is about going back to a job and it's a great little meditation: The unexpected pleasures of returning to employment from freelance life
Much love.
Tom
Tom