If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together
You’ve probably heard the African proverb multiple times. It’s been in my mind since starting Crush.
Everyone who has birthed a company knows that recruiting, onboarding, and leading a team takes time.
And often it is faster just to do everything yourself.
Then how do you know when is the right time to bring others in? Please leave a comment, because it’s one of the most challenging aspects in scaling your business.
Many lean on experience. So do I. But it’s still messy.
When I grew my blog Skimbaco Lifestyleinto an online magazine, I had a team of seven additional part-time writers. The amount of content we were able to publish with seven people wasn’t all that much more than what I was able to publish when I was blogging alone. In some months, it was less.
But we made a lot of dreams come true. Like Nina becoming a fashion blogger in New York City, and Satu doing adventures like biking across the Irish coastal Wild Atlantic Way. The site grew too, but not exponentially.
I still use many lessons I learned from that experience.
When I was the Director of Marketing & Community Manager in a marketing agency called Collective Bias, we were able to scale up with a flexible team of freelancers. But the company was backed by investors, and we had a full-time team just managing things like HR, financials, sales etc.
My initial internal marketing team was under five people. But I managed a team of 900 freelancers and we built a way to grow, scale, and train people fast. A few years later, the company received an additional $10.5M in investment, and a few years after that, did an exit, and the company was sold.
Collective Bias went very far with a large but very flexible team.
I still use many lessons I learned from that experience.
Cure or bandage?
A few years ago, I was working here in Finland and I was told:
“You are like a doctor who can cure cancer, great at what you do. But nobody in Finland wants to cure cancer. We just want to sell and buy bandages.”
- Fast sales.
- Quick wins.
- Short-term solutions.
- Lower prices.
- More Q2 than 5-year plans.
- Sales campaigns, not brand building.
- Social media ads.
- MQLs.
- 1000 today, instead of 100,000 tomorrow.
- Burnout.
Does it sound familiar? Are you tired of trying to go fast, alone?
Or do you want to build something more sustainable? Long term goals, together.
- Clear vision.
- Strong brand foundation.
- Customer loyalty.
- Systems that scale.
- Value creation.
- Reputation over reach.
- Purpose-driven strategy.
- Patience, discipline, and long-game results.
I asked myself: Do you want to go fast or far?
Crush is still a toddler. Still suffering from the terrible twos, and having growth pains.
When my wonderful co-founder sold her share of Crush for me, and I was left alone, it was a wake-up call. (In case needed: I am genuinely happy for her big career moves and fully continue to support her.)
We hadn’t had enough resources when it had been the two of us!
Until that moment, the Crush strategy had been focusing on one big event per year, and growing the size of the event.
Small lean team, only outsource the absolute necessity.
Very much the “go fast” strategy:
- Get attention.
- The first event.
- Then second, and people started knowing the Crush name.
The problem with many “go fast” strategies is that they are bandages, and it was not working too well when you looked at the actual business.
It was time to have a serious chat with myself.
This was not the way I wanted to continue. Or Crush would crash.
I wanted to go far.
Immediately, I brought in my daughter Isabella Presnalin a bigger role to help me with event production part-time. And we started changing things with Isabella.
When you build something with your kid, it also becomes easier to think of your legacy.
Crush 2025event will look in many ways similar to what we have done before.
Thought-leaders, trailblazers, and rebel leaders gathering and learning. Amazing speakers, panel discussions, and opportunities for attendees to promote themselves.
But I think people will also FEEL the difference.
The difference you can only feel when multiple people feel ownership of what we have created together.
In a really odd way, the more I am able to build with others, the more like me Crush feels. Even though every day I feel I’m losing control.
It’s like teaching your kid to walk, and cheering each step and then being terrified they will run, fall down and get hurt.
Crush has always been about all of us and for all of us.
My dream has always been to create dream factories that help others to achieve their goals. Exactly like I did with Skimbaco or Collective Bias, or many other projects I’ve done.
But I had serious problems with Crush.
Like to the date, I have not been paid for my work at Crush.
How embarrassing for a writer of Big Rich Money. (But have you ever heard of “build the audience first, then the product” strategy?)
And how could I bring anyone else into something that is not making any profit yet?
At the same time, I was getting applications to volunteer all the time.
I decided to say yes, and started growing together for all of us to go far.
Crush is Growing
The first two people who joined our volunteer team were Essi Koski-Lammi and Laura Ryyberg.
Essi Koski-Lammiis a healer, business mentor, interior designer, and so much more. Before starting her own company, she created amazing brand experiences for the global brand Rituals.
Laura Ryybergis a talented designer, event planner, and decorator, and when she told she has a Deco Van that anyone can rent to get event decor, I was sold. But then, she said she would volunteer to create the entire Crush event experience, and I almost cried.
Then Heidi Lindroosjoined in, and she started finding us partners. With experience in entrepreneurship, sales and building high-end customer experiences, she was a perfect superwoman addition to our volunteer team.
Next, the TikTok sensation Diana Rantamäki joined our team. She started putting together an influencer campaign and connecting with high-visibility social media influencers to promote the Crush x Emmy campaign. A few weeks later, we organized an event for 30.
Thanks to Hera(Haerang) Choi and Evon Blomstedt of HUONE Meeting and Event Venuesoffering us a place.
The people who wanted to join to help us was just growing.
Not just that.
- We started training partnerships with Skaalaajat, and Maija Ilmoniemiand many more to come.
- Michelle Virtanen sponsored us a PR Agency and Norrlin Nora started crafting a PR strategy for us.
- We built a volunteer program.
- We are building new clear pathways for people and companies to benefit from partnering with or volunteering for Crush.
- We decided to partner with Aalto University’s wednesday. A student-driven community that empowers, inspires, and unites women who are interested in or involved with entrepreneurship.
- The monetizing strategy is going forward, so is the fundraising campaign.
Suddenly, Crush was getting a lot bigger.
I still struggle with the boundaries, and I struggle with leadership.
I’m too messy.
I’m too direct, and then I’m too fucking lost.
You said to go for it all, then questioned how much it cost.
And I’m too polished ‘til I speak my honest truth.
I want to lead my way, is that too bold for you?
I’m too assertive, then I’m too damn unsure.
You praise my strength, but hate when I’m not demure.
And I’m too perfect ‘til I show a single flaw.
A thousand versions to be a leader, and I can’t be them all.
Got a bit sidetracked by channeling Lola Young here, but the bottom line is, I’m making many of the same mistakes that I’ve seen numerous CEOs I’ve worked with making.
- I’m failing to onboard correctly, and assuming people just know what Crush is about.
- Or I’m trusting others too much, and afraid the team, like a flock or birds, will steer Crush to the wrong direction.
I keep reminding myself to treat myself like a consulting client.
I am the Client and the Consultant in my head, like Jekyll and Hyde. Constant dialogue between counting the ways things could go wrong, and having all the answers how to lead this forward.
My consulting customers gave me a nickname several years ago: “CEO whisperer”.
Sometimes you just need more than just a consultant.
Now I realize how comfortable I was in the sidekick role. Strong, dependable, confident, but still just whispering and supporting.
Now I am ready to retire the nickname and the title.
I’m done whispering.
Ready to be loud. Even when it scares me.
Clear vision to go far
But what propels me is the clear vision for Crush, and how working together is the ONLY WAY to grow this.
When I work FOR our community, for our customers, attendees, members, volunteers, and my main goal is to bring REAL VALUE, how could we go wrong?
In the meanwhile, I am also my own best customer.
I will soak every single word Laura Strömberg will speak about leadership on Crush stage, and then I will come home and watch the video and listen to it again.
I want Ulla Jones and Liisa Holma spill it all, and do their most rebel Lähtijät podcast LIVE performance ever.
I will challenge Jenni Rotonen and Eveliina Bamto really tell me how to use social media for social good.
I want some of the rebels with a cause inspiration from founders/CEOs like Aicha Manai, Hannu Medina ️ (he/him), Veronica Deac and Sienna Kruk.
Crush 2025 event will be the launch of the new.
Buy the ticket now.They will sell out.
There will be an offer to join in for the next phase, only available for those at the event.
Come rebel with me,
Katja Presnal
Ps. What is this newsletter? It’s where I am taking you along to follow the founder journey and Crush marketing campaignsin real time.