Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shannon Briggs. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Shannon, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Like many, it took quite a bit of time and self-discovery. Since high school, I knew I wanted to do something in communications. I have always had a passion for words, stories, and creativity. That’s what I pursued in college. It wasn’t until graduate school and after that I learned about the value of building community.
My time in graduate school coincided with the redevelopment of a historic entertainment district here in Memphis named Overton Square. My culminating Master’s project was to create a communications campaign about the importance of revitalizing the district and what it meant to the city. This project created such a passion and drive in me, and I realized it was because I was promoting something more than just a district. I was promoting a project that not only provides value to our Memphis community, but also creates a place for people to form community within the city.
From there, my first role as Marketing and Events Coordinator for a local restaurant chain provided the opportunity to learn what it meant to form strategic partnerships between for-profit and non-profit entities. That same spark that fueled me during my Master’s project came back to life during these projects.
The ability to dive into making our city better while also honing my marketing and communications skills was the perfect alignment. That’s when I knew what I was meant to do. I took that knowledge and those skills to launch my own business, where we work with community-based organizations on their marketing and public relations. We believe that by uplifting these organizations, we can uplift communities as a whole.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Campfire Collective is a Memphis-based marketing agency that focuses on igniting marketing and public relations campaigns for community-based organizations. Working closely with our clients, we provide social media campaigns that burn consistently bright, creative marketing strategies that direct companies to their goals, content writing that guide readers through announcements, and polished, clear public relations that spotlight clients in what they do best. Our goal is to let these organizations shine!
We believe in the value of community, and we believe the way to uplift them is to support those organizations at the core foundation of the communities they serve. We have clients in many different industries: hospitality and tourism, urban planning, retail, home services, non-profit, tech, law, entertainment, arts, and more. Yet, between all these industries, our clients’ values still align with ours, and our mission remains the same.
Where we love working with clients in many different communities, we have recently launched a couple of exciting projects in our home in Memphis. The first is a partnership with the I Love Memphis blog, where we publish monthly pieces on the best places to eat, play, and experience the city. We also now have a podcast, Just Bluffin’, where we interview community changemakers in Memphis, as well as discuss hot topics in the public relations industry.
To further promote our mission internally with our team, we launched our Carrying The Torch initiative earlier this year. This formalized volunteer program includes dedicated service days, pro bono projects, and sponsorship commitments throughout the year. Additionally, each team member is rewarded for volunteering with a non-profit of their choice that fuels their passion. We choose to lead by example.
Outside of these Campfire Collective projects, we are continuing to grow our client base. We’re delighted to work with even more incredible organizations that are doing the good work. To accommodate this expansion, we have welcomed several new team members lately, all of which are equally passionate about our work. You can learn all about them, our clients, and our community projects on our website.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first is definitely grit and determination. There is a lot of problem-solving, pivoting, and hard work that goes into entrepreneurship. The ability to work through these and still see the light at the end of the tunnel is essential.
Decision-making skills are also key. This one was the hardest for me to adopt. I had never been in a role prior to being a business owner that allowed me to make decisions, and then suddenly is was up to me to make all the decisions. Learning to confidently make decisions and run with them will keep your business moving forward.
Relationship-building is essential to anyone, even if you are not in a customer service role. With any business venture, you will have to talk to people, make connections, or sell yourself in some way. Understanding people and how to relate to them is how you do this.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I am a huge proponent of knowing what you do best and outsourcing the rest. One of my favorite parts about my job is that our team gets to collaborate with like-minded creatives with other skillsets on a regular basis. We come together to make client campaigns the best they can possibly be, which is more rewarding for everyone involved: our team, our colleagues, the client, and the community. Everyone gets to do the work they love and know best. The client gets the best possible campaign. The community reaps the reward from the campaign put together by a group of experts. It’s a win all around!
I know where we excel at Campfire Collective: social media, public relations, content writing, strategy, and email marketing. We love the work we do. Instead of spending valuable time trying to learn new skills, we continue to focus on what we do best and grow in those skills over time. We leave what we don’t do best to those experts who have dedicated enormous time and attention to their craft. Whether it’s branding, design, building websites, photography, videography, SEO, or something else, we know someone who can not only do it but do it very well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.buildacampfire.com
- Instagram: @buildacampfire
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buildacampfire
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildacampfire
- Twitter: @buildacampfire
Image Credits
Campfire Collective
