Sharing risk can strengthen partnerships, empower your team, and lead to long-term success. Abb-d Taiyo speaks to his experience in the design world and why risking it all to push forward is often the only option.
Build trust by giving first
One of the most powerful ways to form strong partnerships is to give before you get. Instead of pushing for large contracts from the beginning, start small. This can mean offering valuable advice, running a low-risk pilot project, or providing tools that benefit the client without a hefty price tag.
Example from Driftime®'s experience: they once offered a low-commitment partnership to a sustainability client. This small step eventually led to a large-scale collaboration that helped raise $7 million in the last year alone to empower environmental campaigns.
“We define rich as becoming rich by giving.”
Abb-d TaiyoLower barriers with small steps
When you offer a noncommittal—something small but meaningful—you create a safe space for clients to take a step without a full commitment. It could be a reduced-fee project or a trial phase, but it removes the pressure and opens the door for trust to grow.
Example from Driftime®'s experience: they offered a client a low-risk strategy session, which resulted in a partnership that helped their clients campaign get 3.4 million actions supporting crucial environmental decisions.
Empower your team with freedom
Sharing risk also applies to your team. Driftime® operates with complete autonomy, offering team members flexible working hours and unlimited paid holidays. When you take away restrictions, the team feels trusted and free to take creative risks.
A recent staff survey revealed a 98% happiness and retention rate, showing that everyone on the team is fully invested in their work and goes above and beyond their roles.
“By making a four-day workweek mandatory, we’ve so far claimed 265 Fridays back.”
Abb-d TaiyoAllow room for failure within your team
It's in those “failures” that the biggest learning and growth happens. Leaders should guide but not micromanage, allowing their teams to take ownership and learn from their mistakes.
This was one of the factors that helped Driftime® earn the title of Remote Team of the Year for 2024 and get shortlisted as one of the best small agencies to work for by the UK Company Culture Awards, among other key efforts.
Assume you’re wrong
This mindset keeps you humble and open to new possibilities. Even with years of experience, always approach each project with a beginner’s mindset. This means being willing to question assumptions and stay open to unexpected solutions.
Example from Driftime®'s experience: In 2021, they earned a B Corp accreditation with a score of 91. After improving how they share risk, they resubmitted this year with a higher tentative score of 133. Driftime was also recognized by If You Could and It’s Nice That as a Top Creative Company of 2024 for their strong team culture and leadership, showing how staying open to new possibilities can really pay off.
