As we reflect on 25 years of running Mezzanine, it's clear that our journey has been shaped by the people around us – lessons of alignment, purpose, and relationship. We always aimed to live purpose-driven lives and create meaningful, purpose-driven work, but it was many years before we understood what that meant. A key theme in our development towards this was 'alignment' – alignment between team, partners and our clients.
Lesson 1: Building a Team that Shares Your Purpose
One of our first and most important lessons is that skills alone aren’t enough. To truly build something great, you need a team that believes in your mission. This isn’t just about filling roles; it’s about finding people genuinely passionate about the same things you are. When you have a team that shares your purpose, the brilliance happens.
Our article “Inspiring Employees to Become Brand Advocates” discusses how employees aligned with your brand purpose naturally become advocates. They don’t just go through the motions – they care deeply about the work, and that energy translates into every project. We’ve experienced this firsthand, especially when tackling big projects that require big effort and deeper thinking. When everyone is working towards the same goal, there’s a palpable sense of unity and motivation. It’s exciting and fun to the point where you begin losing track of time!
Over the years, we’ve seen the importance of being intentional about this alignment. Leaders must actively engage their teams in the brand journey. We wrote about this in “Taking Your Team on the Brand Journey,” where we explore how sharing the vision and engaging your team in the process ensures they feel connected to the organisation’s mission. A shared purpose isn’t just a feel-good concept – it’s a strategic advantage.
Lesson 2: Partnering with Clients Who Get It
In the early days, we worked with a wide variety of clients, and while that taught us a lot, we quickly realised that not every client is the right client. You can’t force a partnership to work without aligning values.
As Seth Godin says, “Sell nuts to squirrels. Don’t try to convince dolphins that nuts are delicious.” We now focus on partnering with clients who share our vision for purpose-driven, conscious growth. It’s not just about doing the work – it’s about doing work that matters to both parties. Our best collaborations have always been with clients who are looking to create something meaningful, not just transactional. Everyone involved is far more engaged and focused. There is trust and respect. When we partner with clients who “get it,” the results go beyond great design or clever campaigns – we help build something that has a real impact.
Our article “Brand Building Through Conscious Marketing” explores how working with aligned clients leads to stronger brand experiences and longer-lasting relationships. Purpose-driven brands resonate more deeply with their audiences, and that’s the work we aim to create for our clients.
Lesson 3: Purpose is Everything
If there’s one word that’s run through the last 25 years, it’s this: purpose. We didn’t quite get this at first, nor did we know what it meant for “business,” and it went undefined. It took us many years to really see the value in defining it and being more intentional with it. A brand that understands its purpose has a much stronger foundation on which to build. When an organisation knows why it exists, it creates a powerful connection with its employees, customers, and partners.
For us at Mezzanine, our purpose is to help organisations lead positive change through brand. This purpose shapes everything we do, from how we hire to the clients we take on to the strategies we develop. It’s why we’ve been able to grow and adapt over the years, and it’s what keeps us going.
Purpose isn’t just about internal culture – it’s also about brand growth. In “Taking Your Team on the Brand Journey,” we explain how aligning internal teams with brand purpose creates a more engaged, motivated workforce. This engagement, in turn, fuels growth and success in ways that can’t be achieved through traditional methods alone.
The Future is Bright
Looking ahead, the future of purpose-driven business is incredibly promising. More and more organisations are realising the power of aligning their teams and clients with a clear mission, and we’re excited to continue helping them on that journey. We believe that businesses that lead with purpose will be the ones that thrive in the long run.
The last 25 years have been a journey of growth, learning, and constant evolution for us. We’ve seen firsthand how aligning teams, clients, and purpose leads to lasting success, transforming our own business as well as our clients. As we look forward, we’re more optimistic than ever. The future is bright for us all when brands stay true to their purpose, align their values, and foster meaningful partnerships. We’re excited to keep growing, evolving, and helping others thrive in the next chapter of purpose-driven success.
