Fake it till you make it
"You might have never done that shoot before, but by selecting the right people and crew, you can achieve a great result."
Liam Corrigan | Founder | RedPill
How would you explain what "Fake it till you make it" means?
When you're starting out in the industry and aiming to be ambitious and entrepreneurial, you must get the job done and deliver on your promises.
However, if you commit to things that you can't realistically achieve, then you need to adjust your approach and assess your capabilities. At the beginning, the best people come through and deliver results, even if they have not done a specific job in a certain industry before. They apply their knowledge from other industries to enter a new one, and that's how people start in a new category and vertical.
What do you think of the advice?
I agree with it. Because I don't understand how anything would ever get done. Unless you're an expert. That might be different if you're a doctor, where the practice is highly regulated. Requiring you to go through courses to qualify. Whereas in advertising, you think about how frequently it's changing. What you do did last year is out of date. So if you're good, you're always going to try and be on the edge of it and you're always going to be doing something new. In that respect, one could argue you're always faking it until you make it. It comes back to this point: Are you delivering on what you've set out to do? And if you are, then it's absolutely okay, because you have to start somewhere. But you've got to make sure you're keeping your promises and you are delivering on your initial claims.
Liam Corrigan gives an example of when he's bent the truth in the past to appear more credible...
We'd never worked in automotive before, but now we've done a vast amount in this field. To get into it, we looked at similar categories or where we've worked with other creators or done video productions that could have a relationship to automotive in some respect. It's not so much about bending the truth but showing the client that you are capable of getting to the next level.
In the production industry, it's a very collaborative field. If you haven't worked in a category, partner up with someone who has. For example, if you were to take the automotive example, find a director who has shot countless auto ads. You bring your capabilities and aspects of the role, and the director brings expertise in getting the shot and creating the final product.
You might have never done that shoot before, but by selecting the right people and crew, you can achieve a great result.
Humble promo of Liam Corrigan and RedPill
OK, so "influencer" is shit hot right now. It has been for a few years now. And there will clearly be a need for it, more and more - in particular the type of activities that actually can be measured. RedPill are at the forefront of this wave. Surfing the barrel all the way. They're also one of the most experienced influencer agencies in the UK today.
Liam runs that business mighty well, together with his partner in crime Henry. They have such a positive mindset, always believing that the unthinkable can be done. Usually fast growth companies struggle to take care of their people. But Liam and Henry invest a ton into learning & development and mental wellbeing for their employees. So you end up getting a super trendy agency with lots of career opportunities, that has a zen attitude. The kind of place you want to work at!
Cheersssss!
Daniel (Polymensa founder)
Explore other perspectives
Tash Courtenay-Smith
Founder @ Bolt Digital
"It encourages focus and behavioural change towards your desired outcome"
Mark Ritson
Founder @ Marketing Week MiniMBA & Marketing professor
"I regard fake it until you make it as kind of the 'good bullshit' for the most part"
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