This is the first installation of my Creative of the Week series, where I interview and spotlight the artists, writers, creative business owners, makers, and freethinkers I admire. Meet Marissa and Delainie, founders of Backtalk Branding, a Detroit-based branding and social media agency.
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What are your name, ages and locations?
Delainie Wheeler, 23, Detroit
Marissa D’Agostino, 30, Detroit (soon to be Atlanta)
What’s your business called? Where can people find you online?
We’re Backtalk Branding! Find us at backtalkbranding.com. Our social handles are @backtalkbranding– content coming soon.
What is the focus of your business or your creative output?
Brand language, brand identity, website design, social media strategy & social media management.
DW: I’ve worked in social media for upwards of 5 years, starting with management for small businesses and larger institutions including Wayne State University.
MDA: I’ve held operational positions across industries throughout most of my 10-year career. Despite that, I always found myself taking on projects and responsibilities that required drops of creativity like presentation formatting, collateral design, and rebranding efforts. Now, I’ve managed to situate myself as the effective Director of Operations at a creative agency – a dream.
DW: Ironically, I’ve always excelled in STEM-based studies. But public speaking, blogging, writing, coding, and social media quickly became a hobby when I was a teenager. Big Tumblr-user over here. As I moved on to college, I pursued a creative field solely for my desire to have a flexible lifestyle – anything outside of an office 9-5.
MDA: I can remember doing some pretty advanced doodling and sketching elaborate floor plans of dream homes on graph paper as a six or seven year old. I remember being proud of feeling creative, but I never adopted it as a part of my identity. Truthfully, I still struggle owning that title. It makes me feel fraudulent, but I’m working on it.
DW: My family has always been supportive of my choice to pursue a creative field, especially since I’ve always balanced my path with leadership-heavy positions in my work. The biggest struggle thus far has been persevering financially without the security of a traditional field and a 9-5 job. I always have to trust the process. (I think all creatives can relate here.) But I’m surrounded by uber-successful creatives in real life and online. That reassurance and confidence is key.
MDA: Well, a symptom of pressure was a lack of ownership of my creative identity – I’m sure of it. I always did well in school and had a ton of energy, so I leaned into that because I was getting rewarded for it. Then, as I got older, I wasn’t fitting into the artsy-creative buckets, so I abandoned ship. It wasn’t until that adolescent insecurity melted into experience that I sought out creative channels. All of that to say that until very recently, I didn’t identify as a creative because I didn’t think I was one. I’m still digesting that piece of myself.
DW: I’ve found that my communication skills have allowed me to network outside of my expected circle and move into positions for which I’m technically unqualified.* And of course, as social media has been an emerging field for the entirety of my career, I’m always able to prove myself as a valuable asset. There isn’t a business that won’t benefit from social media and digital marketing help.
MDA: Being creative afforded me a different lifestyle. I was unsatisfied and underwhelmed with the trajectory of my career, which inevitably bled into the rest of my life. When I reconnected with the creative parts of myself, it was like I unlocked a new level in my brain. Now, I am so much more fulfilled and confident. For the first time, maybe ever, I feel like I really know what I’m doing even though I’m constantly flailing and making mistakes.
[*Note: This is just a reminder that many women only apply for jobs they believe themselves to be 100% qualified for, while men apply for jobs they’re 60% qualified for. The nature of qualification is subjective, which means we should all be reaching higher than our own comfort levels, just like Delainie.]
DW: I take an untraditional approach to our visual and spoken identity online. Many branding and social media agencies have neutral palettes and similar language styles, which is counterproductive as our job as an agency is to help brands stand apart. So, we’ve taken the approach of creating a unique, loud brand for Backtalk, and it’s been well received by our audience.
MDA: Flexibility is my greatest and most difficult asset. Creativity implies harmony and contradictions, and I am learning to embrace creative pillars then apply them to business practices. I’m definitely hard wired to follow my Type A, but working in a creative environment pushes my boundaries, and the end result is always better.
"When I reconnected with the creative parts of myself, it was like I unlocked a new level in my brain." - Marissa D'Agostino
DW: They’re total bullshit, ha. Myself and Marissa are both extremely type A. Creatives may have an untraditional way of getting things done, but as many of us are required to be professionally independent, being organized is essential to our success.
MDA: Ha, in my last answer I just owned my Type A. So, there ya go – total nonsense. I do identify with some creative stereotypes, but I would put them in Type A and Type B buckets. Like, I’m erratic and generally restless…which easily belongs in both personality types, they’re just being channeled through different mediums.
DW: THE MONEY! The money is difficult – from sacrificing guaranteed income to building a business model that gets everyone paid well. Again, you have to trust the process in the beginning. Every business owner has been broke at some point. When you’re there, just remember it’ll be a great chapter for the Forbes article you’re in one day.
The easiest part of starting Backtalk has been every other aspect of my life. I love having autonomy over my time, my sleep, my travel, my routine… I love getting to work with a team of people I trust and respect. The benefits of this career style infinitely outweigh any negatives.
MDA: Patience. After gaining experience, practicing a skill, and developing an idea, you just want to be there. And it takes sooo much time and patience and minutia and networking and failing and learning to really get going.
The easiest part of starting Backtalk… I had already experienced so many avenues I didn’t like, that this seemed like the only option. So, that took away so much doubt and fear. I finally reached the point of no return, like ‘well, this is the option, so it’s going to work, and that’s it.’
DW: Just keep going. It sounds cliché (because it is), but if you stick to it, success is inevitable. It may look different than you originally thought, but you’ll pivot into something that works. Don’t get distracted and tempted by the lifestyle you decided against just because it may seem easier.
MDA: I’d have to mirror Delainie here – just keep going. No one actually knows what they’re doing, you just figure it out along the way. We’ve made big mistakes, we’ve fallen on our faces, we’ve redone things over and over, we’ve been unprepared to answer intelligent questions. You just own that, remember that you’re only one person, learn from it, and move on.
"If you’re proud of your business when you launch it, you’ve started too late." - Delainie Wheeler
DW: Just keep going. It sounds cliché (because it is), but if you stick to it, success is inevitable. It may look different than you originally thought, but you’ll pivot into something that works. Don’t get distracted and tempted by the lifestyle you decided against just because it may seem easier.
MDA: I’d have to mirror Delainie here – just keep going. No one actually knows what they’re doing, you just figure it out along the way. We’ve made big mistakes, we’ve fallen on our faces, we’ve redone things over and over, we’ve been unprepared to answer intelligent questions. You just own that, remember that you’re only one person, learn from it, and move on.
DW: I’m looking forward to myself and everyone we work with existing in their dream lifestyle. Within a year, we’ll expect more financial freedom across the board and a refined client list. Within five years, I hope to lean further into the education and consulting side of Backtalk. Keep an eye out for my Masterclass, y’all.
MDA: Good question. Who knows? I’m trying to be more flexible. I do see a team of 15-ish, financial freedom, a refined services offering, and a client base built on shared values and resonant missions, not just budget. I see myself attending workshops and seminars to stay up on relevant labor force trends, re: what’s important to them, where they want to work, ideal pay structure, etc. That’s my wheelhouse, keeping my team fulfilled.
DW: If you’re proud of your business when you launch it, you’ve started too late.
MDA: Reach out to someone you admire and ask if they’d be willing to chat over a meal that you buy. Their time and knowledge is valuable.
I’ve spent 16 years in advertising, and now I’m using that knowledge to help creatives grow their own small businesses. Will that include you this year?
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