Tiffany Ashitey & Tasha Morris launched Benchmark Creative to help startups & enterprise brands create their voice, online and offline
We’re Tasha and Tiffany (aka “Team T”), the co-founders of Benchmark Creative Group - a boutique marketing agency that helps startup and enterprise brands create their voice, online and offline. We love all marketing, but our strongest skills are digital strategy, social media execution, and events.
We’re also the co-creators of BK Marketing Week. Sparked by our love for the city we grew up in, and our desire to help small businesses on a budget, we created this DIY Marketing series to assist business owners with PR, sales, social media, strategy, and content.
How as being an entrepreneur affected your life? How did it change the way you think about life?
Being entrepreneurs has taught us so much about people - what drives them, what makes them take action or inaction. Since our company is service based, we’re constantly engaging people We can’t just create a product and distance ourselves from the brand. Because of that constant interaction, we’ve learned not take anything personal. How people respond to you, may have nothing to do with you. That’s why it’s important to never settle for a no, cause sometimes it just means not right now. Timing is everything.
What does it mean to have competition/competitors? Do you compete/collaborate or just observe? What is the best practice to approach your competition?
We love competition. In entrepreneurship, you should view competition as an opportunity - to be better and/or to partner with. Competitors are supposed to make you want to step your game up. We've been busy this year, and fortunately a full calendar has given us the opportunity to observe the landscape more. Early on we decided to collaborate with competitors. It's the best way to learn, and see how they operate (also vice versa). You'd be surprised where your next referral comes from. Plus it allows you access and reach to an audience you previously didn't have. You can grow faster together than alone. We suggest approaching them at an event and following up with a brief "creative conversation".
What is failure?
Failure is not learning from your mistakes. Don't keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome. Change the strategy.
Is there one “rookie mistake” that new entrepreneurs keep on making? What is it? Did it happen to you?
A rookie mistake is showing fear or desperation. Clients and competition can smell it and will take advantage of it. It happened our first year. We took on clients just to pay the bills knowing they were going to be a headache. It was an emotionally and physically draining. Know your worth, and be willing to say no, from the beginning.
What are some pros and cons of having (OR not having) entrepreneurial parents?
Pros: It forces you to work harder to prove you made the right decision to become an entrepreneur. Cons: They don't understand your journey. It's hard to explain your wins and losses if they're not tech savvy. It's like you're speaking a foreign language.