This is part 3 of Brent’s style Substack essay “Letters from Jeremiah Brent.” Parts 1 and 2 can be discovered on the designer’s eponymous Substack, Jeremiah Brent
There’s an old saying: “Being clever sufficient to understand what you do not understand.” And I quickly recognized there was a lot I didn’t know. I wasn’t a “skilled” designer with formal education. And I knew absolutely nothing about a P+L or anything related to service, for that matter. I understood I required assistance, so I put an advertisement in MySpace. A lady named Beth responded and I satisfied her for an interview at a coffee bar. As we talked I recognized she had all the abilities I didn’t have. She had a style degree. She had company savvy and technical skills. And she was hugely smart and more significantly, kind. Somehow, she said yes to joining me in my insane ride and it was among the luckiest breaks I ever got. (Later, Beth told me she stated yes to me because she felt my interest for what I wished to attain. Which just goes to show you, if you are sincere and genuinely think in your dream, the ideal people will find you.)
Individuals ask me all these years later on what I try to find in a staff member now, and I inform them it’s whatever I saw in Beth back then. (Or, perhaps what she saw in me, too.) She was enthusiastic. That’s the most crucial thing for me. She had integrity. She was expert. She kept in mind. She had concepts. She asked wise, tough questions. She wasn’t seeking to get something out of the job. She wanted to contribute and make the business grow. She wanted to offer. To this day, what I want in a member of my team is the exact same things I desire from my kids: I want someone who is kind and honest.
Photo courtesy Jeremiah Brent