10 Questions with Isabel Sachs
Behind the scenes of I LIKE NETWORKING.
This week, we’re focusing on productivity. And what better way to get inspired by chatting to the brains behind I LIKE NETWORKING and new creative agency Rahal/Sachs? Running an agency and a community of 45k+ as your side hustle is no joke.
Isabel, you built a 45k+ community through I LIKE NETWORKING. What was your "why" for starting?
I lost my job in events in 2020. A shocker, I know! I tell people that I did a lot of Netflix and crying! Then I got sick of feeling sorry for myself, and not being able to do anything about the COVID-19 situation.
Many of my peers and friends had also lost jobs and been furloughed. We all felt a level of despair and helplessness. One day, my cousin told me she didn't know how she'd work again because everything happens through connections here, and it had been so hard to build a steady level of work. She no longer knew how to do that: "I HATE networking, I'd pay someone to do it for me".
I had never thought about it in that way, so I just replied - ha. I guess I like networking?
I went home, did some research on mentoring schemes, how we could incorporate networking into it, and the idea started. Initially, it was a one-off thing because when you're only thinking about yourself, every problem is huge, but once you flip and think about what you can do for others, you gain perspective. And that's something I believe in when it comes to networking as well!
What's your top tip for building an authentic community?
One: Have a WHY.
Two: Lived experience. Communities are built through action and living it, not just through concepts.
Three: Be clear about what you do and who you're for; your community is NOT for everyone, and that's okay!!! Owning up to your limitations is important.
I've always been as transparent as I can about when we charge for things, what we do, how we're building this etc. I think creating it "in public" has been helpful because most people tell us that what they love about ILN is the transparency.
You're very passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B). How do you centre this within your community and work?
Again, it's something I've experienced in ways, things I've seen and perhaps just a result of growing up in Brazil, which is a beautiful country, but with insane levels of inequality.
I've always seen my work in culture as a way to make the world slightly better because I truly believe in the power of creative work. To me, if you don't stand for something as a community, you just won't succeed. Or at least that's how I like to move in the world, to have a why that's a bit bigger than "me". If we have to work and we get to work with something we're interested in, which in itself is a huge privilege (even if still VERY hard), why not use the time we spend doing it trying to make other lives a little better in the process?
Long story short, I centre DEI&B at the core of what we do. Who are we listening to? Who's representing our work? Who are you connecting with? Which voices are being heard? It's not perfect, but I try my best to ensure that whatever work I do is not a result of just me - it has other voices shaping it.
There have been lots of changes in this space since Trump started his second term. Have you encountered any new challenges? How have you tackled them?
It's been brutal.
Last year, I considered quitting. This year, a lot of our corporate revenue streams dried up completely, and people just don't seem as interested in it anymore. I have been doing more consultancy work and focusing on my work with organisations that already get it, as well as experimenting with new models of revenue.
This is our fifth year in existence, so that's a victory! I've launched two new enterprises this year in the middle of all that. So one could say that I am betting on resistance.
But practically speaking, I:
Reassessed my budget and company spending (gotta love your accountant and your Excel)
Focused on new revenue streams
Connected with clients who already get it and tried to expand our offers to them
Tightened my spending on a personal level as well
Speaking of overcoming challenges, let's broaden it out. What was your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it, when starting I LIKE NETWORKING?
My biggest challenge was to FULLY grasp that this wasn't going to be a one-off volunteer scheme. That there was a lot of need for it. My first company, I built it with a clear business model, a client pipeline, etc. I knew how it would make money. I LIKE NETWORKING has been an impact-first business. Deciding how to make it sustainable is the challenge, and to be fair is something we're always iterating!
I guess I have overcome this with two main things:
Resilience because the WHY I do it is big enough.
Having a group of people around me. Our mentors, our advisory board… without them, ILN wouldn't exist! Asking for help is an underrated tool!
Engagement can be a huge hurdle for community-builders. What advice do you have for gaining and, more importantly, retaining loyal members?
Data and listening. What is working? Do more of that.
Did that stop working? Why? Change it.
Listen to people, do surveys, research. You're never an expert, you gotta be always curious!
Switching to the wins. What's been your career highlight so far? How did it happen – serendipitously or carefully curated and worked towards?
I never know how to answer this because when I think about prizes and accolades, that is all fun, but what gets me going is the 1-1 feedback I get from random people, from former mentees etc…
With my first company in Brazil, I produced a play for young audiences and we used to receive these incredible hand-written letters from people that saw themselves recognised in it for the first time. That to me is what I keep going back to!
You've won lots of awards and been recognised in publications like Stylist and The New York Times. How did you do it? What surprised you about the process? Have awards made a big difference in your career trajectory?
Some of the awards have definitely helped. Press helps as well, especially at the early stages, for people to find us and to get some credibility.
The D&AD pencil has been fantastic because it provided me with a mentor. Not all awards are created equal, the ones that give you access to a network (ha!) have made a difference for sure!
How did that happen?
I pitch, I speak to people, I advocate for myself. No one will do that for us.
I learned a lot about press pitching specifically with Lucy Werner, she's the queen of self promotion!
You run I LIKE NETWORKING as well as your creative agency, Rahal/Sachs. How do you juggle your day job with your side hustle? Do you have any project management or organisational tips and tricks, or recommend any tools?
I live and breathe my Google calendar. Every night I review my day ahead, every Sunday I tally what's happening and see what the priorities are. When in doubt, I ask myself: What will drive the business forward? And focus on that.
I am also quite good at delegating, hahah. I trust people. If I am working with a freelancer or intern, I understand that they do whatever task better than me
Again, knowing your limitations and where your time should be spent is key! And when to rest as well. I need sleep! And I need time to watch my terrible reality TV!
How did you find launching your own agency? What would you do exactly the same and what would you do differently if you were going to launch it again?
It's been a soft launch, let's say. We had some projects we wanted to do, and I have a business partner who is MAGICAL because we have complementary skills. So again, there's a lot of trust there in who does what best. We are doing it slowly because we are building it alongside other projects that are happening, so not putting that much pressure has been great. We struggled with our google suite, to be fair, we should have hired someone to help us. But I'd say in comparison to my first agency, this is smoother because there's less immediate financial pressure and I have a business partner.
To learn more about I LIKE NETWORKING, check out their Substack. NXT LVL subscribers get access to a two-week free trial using this link. Enjoy!
P.S. our founder, Sedge, is talking at I LIKE NETWORKING’s next event on 17th September, covering how to thrive in the influencer space. Sign up to attend here.
thank you!!!!!!