Plenty of Room at the Table: The Power of Connections
BY Nicole Poulos
My first job was in the music industry at a very exciting and transformational time — the dawn of digital music. I started in the “New Media” department (the old school term for the people that handled “all things internet”) at an independent record label just a few short weeks before the label officially signed their iTunes contract.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, being at a small company meant all hands on deck. The experience of being thrown into new and uncharted territory set the tone for navigating the ever-changing media landscape, and taught me the value of relationships.
Every Interaction is Valuable
As my path unfolded, post label, to a magazine/marketing agency, I ended up on my own as a freelancer and consulting on digital marketing projects, at a bit of a loss as to what I wanted to do next...
Suddenly, I’m now starting my own business (?!). Landing my first big corporate client was the catalyst that all of the sudden turned my freelance work into the start of my company, Sideways Inc., which now has offices in Los Angeles (HQ), Chicago, and Nashville.
I was introduced to this corporate client from a former colleague; however, the reason I landed the account was because one of the former executives that I interned for at MTV recognized my name.
My three-day-a-week, college internship — in the affiliate marketing department at MTV — involved a lot of photocopying, mail distribution, and duplicating promo clips. Nothing close to the thrilling or glamorous side of working in entertainment. I made the most of my time there. Partially fueled by boredom, I made it a daily habit to stop by every office in the department, offering up my time (and now exceptional photocopying skills) to help take clerical tasks and busy work off their plates.
I also asked lots of questions about who they were — their backgrounds, how they came into their current roles at MTV, and what their jobs entailed. Although I never really graduated from photocopying, those small yet very proactive gestures — even out of the hundreds of interns that floated through that office — stood out to this executive, and got me the job. This is now a long-term client whose name attracted more clients and fast tracked me into entrepreneurship. This is the power of connections.
From then on, I realized that I needed to remind myself that every meeting and every interaction is valuable. You can learn something from every person you interact with and every experience.
Building Real Connections
My job, now as the CEO of my communications agency, is literally connections. Sideways works with very diverse creatives, brands and businesses to share and amplify their stories, to connect with communities, supporters, fans, families… people.
Entrepreneurs, especially women, encounter obstacles, hurdles, and just out right negativity for a number of reasons. Some people may not want to see you succeed. Or maybe there is some weird myth/mindset, born from fear, that the playing field of success is limited, or that for one person to succeed another needs to fail. But space is not limited, life is not graded on a curve, and there is plenty of room at this table — pulling out chairs, adding leaflets and filling that table/your network with incredible people lifts everyone up.
“....shared success does not mean you have to deny your own success.” — INC
Real connections start with listening, being present. Anyone who has left the corporate world or had a big title at a big company, and left to work for themselves, or was laid off as a result of the pandemic, knows that feeling of colleagues, professional contacts, and even friends becoming distant due to a “lack of title.”
This is something I never understood. Is this because people think helping someone in need taints them or lowers their professional stock? Who knows. I see a lot of this and am such a big believer in energy, and that by putting positive energy into the world you can offset the negativity somewhere else. I try to pump positive energy into the world by connecting incredible people with one another.
How Great Ideas are Born
I know this is also completely self serving. Helping people makes you feel good. But this is an indulgence I strongly encourage. You learn something from every connection you make. The more exchanging of ideas, energy, and molecules that we put out in the world... the better. This is how progress and great ideas are born, and maybe that next connection or idea will change the world for the better.
I encourage everyone who reads this to reach out to three people you haven’t connected with in a while, especially after the physical isolation that the pandemic propelled the world into. Ask them how they are, what they have been up to, and more importantly how you can help.
ABOUT NICOLE POULOS
Nicole Poulos is the founder and CEO of Sideways. Her passion for storytelling and the arts started at a very early age with her love of books, and lack of shame at being the first person on the dance floor at a wedding as a toddler. A life-long art appreciator, Nicole has pursued the arts her entire life, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount. Realizing that she was a better art appreciator than an actual artist, Nicole pursued a career in entertainment, landing at the Welk Music Group (Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records) in the “New Media” department a few short months prior to the label group signing their iTunes contract. From there she has had a wild ride at the forefront of figuring out how music and the internet could work together in harmony. Nicole started Sideways over 10 years ago to champion creatives, brands, business and individuals, helping them tell their stories and navigate the ever-changing information landscape.