2019 Will Be Our Best Year Yet. Here’s How I Know.

Seed is an important part of my life.

Yes, it’s my place of employment, but it represents a lot more than that.

For me, it’s a way for me to actively participate in my life, by choosing a career that I love, that I am good at, and earn a living for being creative with a bunch of other people who actively chose to do the same. And, I like those people, which counts for a lot. That’s a privilege that not a lot of people are afforded.

As is typical, a new year brings with it a lot of reflection, and this year is a monumental one.

In 2019, 3Seed will be celebrating its 10th year in business. In the spirit of reflection and celebration, I decided to sit down with the partners of 3Seed, Andrea, Julie, and Mulder, to talk about the evolution of 3Seed. I wanted to better understand what compelled them to start 3Seed and where they are excited to go in 2019.

In The Beginning…

“3Seed started because we were working for a company that we felt didn’t give us the proper conditions to grow. We knew that if we started our own brand, and ensured we had those conditions, we could flourish,” said Mulder.

And, flourish they did. This catalyst for starting the brand is still something that is pressed upon us daily. We talk about the proper conditions to grow as a company, individually while discussing our career goals, and while planning yearly marketing strategies with our clients. It makes for an incredible company to work with and work for. Almost every decision these three make together is based on the question “Would we want to work here?”, and it shows. Ask any of my coworkers, and they will tell you that our happiness is a priority.

The path hasn’t always been easy. 3Seed was started in the middle of the recession, and that was just the start of the boulders that were to come. “People thought we were crazy for starting a company in the middle of the recession, but we knew, if we could flourish during that, we would thrive when the market turned around,” Mulder said, and it was true. The recession was just one of several boulders that served as roadblocks, not dead ends.
“We have too much passion. We can’t be stopped,” said Andrea. “All of us are capable of fitting into a company, but our goals and aspirations are so big that we decided we needed to start our own,” said Julie. “There was a time that the company we were working for was restructuring and hired an outside consultant to come in and provide recommendations as to who the leaders of the company should be. That consultant named the three of us as the three who would carry the company to success. That was the affirmation we needed that we were capable and should take the leap.”

The Fearless 3

“The three of us are different enough that you wouldn’t pick us out of an organization and say, ‘Of course, these three should start a company together,” said Julie. “We are different but we naturally work well together because we understand our strengths, we aren’t afraid to think creatively, and we are always willing to pitch in.”

One commonality that is undeniable is creativity. Each of the partners come at problems from a creative angle and work together to make these creative ambitions possible. “When we first started, we didn’t always know how we were going to do it, but someone would call and ask for something, and we would figure it out.” Years later, that determination and creativity are still at the forefront of their ambitious approach to goal-setting and problem-solving.

The incredible client opportunities that have been presented to us over the years was another success factor that each of the partners bought up at some point in our conversation. “We’ve found a groove of aligning with our clients, said Andrea. “It sounds cliche but we really have found clients that align with our core values and who we are as a brand. That is a force that has been driving clients to us recently. We’ve put out “This is who we are” and it’s coming back to us with incredible opportunities.”

Became a Creative Force to Be Reckoned With

“This year is going to be powerful and motivational. We’ve been through a lot and we’ve chosen to accept the lessons presented to us with our successes and our failures,” said Andrea.

“One lesson that has continuously come up over the last nine years of business is that the wrong fit can only fit for so long,” Mulder added. “I think it was Elizabeth Gilbert who said, ‘I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life– so why did I feel like none of it resembled me?’ We have taken some chances that were not the right fit, and they didn’t last long. We’ve learned that if we just trust ourselves and our gut, and make decisions that are true to who we are as people and a brand, it will all be okay. We are excited by the opportunity to start 2019 with this strong team who we fully trust to come to work and do their best every day.”

“Ten years is a huge, crazy deal,” said Andrea, and we all agreed. “From a resolution standpoint, I would like for us to focus on what was our impetuous, our creativity. We are a combined creative force that can’t be stopped. Everyone on our team has special creative abilities. In 2019, I’d like to focus on a grateful appreciation for everything we create and commending our team for the work they are doing every day. When it’s the right fit and the right people, it’s magic.”

In the spirit of continuing the magic of this past holiday season, and celebrating the power and opportunity of a new year, we are looking for exciting new client opportunities. Have an idea that you want to work on with us? Let us know! We are always excited to tackle a new problem and help you form the next big idea.