How Michelle O'Grady of Team Friday, Owns It
On this episode of OWN IT, we’re talking to Michelle O’Grady from Team Friday. Michelle is big into life experiences, and to compliment that, has a background in experiential marketing. She’s based in Los Angeles where Team Friday has existed for the last decade. It’s a creative agency with purpose driven and culturally relevant work in mind.
I love these conversations, especially this one with Michelle. We covered everything from her immigrant great-grandmother, who was also an entrepreneur, to her own path to ownership, to her perspective on the gender gap in agency ownership.
You are going to enjoy this episode. Here’s my conversation with Michelle O’Grady.
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Key Takeaways
EPISODE: Michelle O'Grady
1. Drawing Inspiration from Everyday Women and Ancestral Strength | 00:03:17
Michelle is inspired by the resilience of everyday women, acknowledging the adversity they face. She also draws deep inspiration from her great-grandmother, an immigrant who, despite not driving or speaking English, established successful businesses and community spaces, even providing informal financial aid to unbanked immigrant families. This ancestral drive for community impact is a significant part of her identity and approach to her agency work.
2. The Genesis of an Agency: Purpose-Driven Marketing and Belonging | 00:10:46
Michelle started Team Friday with a desire to redefine marketing beyond transactional sales, especially for multicultural communities. She meditated on the concept of "belonging" and aimed to use marketing for good, focusing on authentic communication and community impact rather than just consumerism. This philosophy, established 11 years ago, was ahead of its time and has guided her agency's work.
3. The Creative Power of Scarcity and Slow Growth in Entrepreneurship | 00:15:03
Starting with limited funds forced Michelle and her team to be highly creative, working with smaller budgets for nonprofits and government agencies. This initial constraint, though challenging, led to some of the most creative experiences of her life. She emphasizes that success isn't instantaneous and acknowledging achievements takes time, advocating for a slow, steady build-up and acknowledging the contributions of friends and contractors in the early stages.
4. Embracing Discomfort and Letting Go of Control for Personal and Professional Growth | 00:19:25
Ownership has taught Michelle immense patience and the ability to be comfortable with discomfort. She realized that she cannot control every outcome, especially in marketing where reception is subjective. Learning to trust her team and processes, and letting go of the need for perfection, has been crucial for her growth as a leader and has allowed her to embrace the unpredictable nature of entrepreneurial endeavors.
5. Challenging the Funding and Value Gap for Women-Owned Service Businesses | 00:23:34
Michelle highlights the significant disparity in support and funding for women-owned service-based businesses, particularly in advertising, compared to product-based businesses. She argues that society often undervalues women's creative ideas, leading to financial and opportunity deficits. She advocates for systemic changes in how women-owned agencies are funded, given contracts, and offered development opportunities, emphasizing the need for authentic collaboration and mutual support among women entrepreneurs.
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