Sharing risk can strengthen partnerships, empower your team, and lead to long-term success.
Abb-d Taiyo, co-founder of Driftime® – A Design & Impact Agency, shared this insight at Design Layers, a conference investigating the intersection of creativity, ethics and business goals, hosted by Readymag. His advice is here to help you build a lasting, people-first design business.
1. Build trust by giving first.
One of the most powerful ways to form strong partnerships is to give before you get. Instead of pushing for large contracts from the beginning, start small. This can mean offering valuable advice, running a low-risk pilot project, or providing tools that benefit the client without a hefty price tag.
2. Define value together.
To truly share risk, it's essential to understand what both sides bring to the table. When you collaborate with your clients to decide what success looks like for both sides, it ensures that everyone is working toward the same goal.
“The value is also what you bring to the table, and the confidence of knowing what you can do to inch closer to that impact goal.” — Abb-d Taiyo
3. Lower barriers with small steps.
When you offer a noncommittal option—something small but meaningful—you create a safe space for clients to take a step without a full commitment. It could be a reduced-fee project or a trial phase, but it removes the pressure and opens the door for trust to grow.
4. Share risk, share reward. When you share risk with your clients, you align your interests. If they succeed, you succeed. By taking on part of the risk, you show commitment to the project’s outcome, which builds a deeper sense of trust and partnership.
5. Empower your team with freedom. Sharing risk also applies to your team. Driftime operates with complete autonomy, offering team members flexible working hours and unlimited paid holidays. When you take away restrictions, the team feels trusted and free to take creative risks.
“By implementing a four-day workweek, we’ve so far claimed 265 Fridays back for time in nature, time with friends and family, or time for those all-important Netflix binges.” — Abb-d Taiyo
6. Allow room for failure within your team. It's in those “failures” that the biggest learning and growth happens. Leaders should guide but not micromanage, allowing their teams to take ownership and learn from their mistakes.
7. Assume you’re wrong. This mindset keeps you humble and open to new possibilities. Even with years of experience, always approach each project with a beginner’s mindset. This means being willing to question assumptions and stay open to unexpected solutions.
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