Believeco:Partners

An open letter from Arlene

The power of relationships.

Nothing has been more important in my career than building authentic, lasting relationships. In business, as in life, it can be hard to define a great relationship – but you know it when you’re in it. There’s accountability and responsibility. There’s commitment, care and trust. And any time these values are shared – between teammates, with clients, between a brand and its audiences – amazing things happen. People change the way they act and the way they think. Relationships give meaning to our work; they give us passion and purpose.

Independent agencies embody these values because our survival depends on the relationships we form. When you own an agency, you pour your sweat and soul into fostering trust and care because accountability is essential to your value. Hours, years, decades of hard work and relentless client service forge a mentality and mettle that can never be replicated by anyone less vested than an owner. Over the 34 years of running my business, I’ve come to believe that zealous relationships with clients, and within our teams, are only possible when passion and purpose are put ahead of profit.

Believeco:Partners has grown out of my belief in the transformative power of relationships. I want to bring this power of connection and commitment to all clients and brands. To large clients who need size and reach but who still need the human touch embodied by independents. To upcoming clients of any size who need an unwavering, long-term partner; to teammates who need to feel heard and invested in their work; to brands that seek to form genuine affinity with their audience; to organizations that work to build trust in the public sphere. Everywhere I look, I see the need for stronger, more meaningful bonds.

Believeco:Partners provides the relationship-first business model of independent shops, at scale. We are keeping founders at the wheel, deeply accountable and committed to the long-term future of their teams and their clients’ businesses. We’ve begun with leaders with the same commitment, the same values and the same ambition. This group of founding shareholders – the leaders of Brightworks, Argyle, Zync, Revolve, Castlemain and Venture Play  – is the start of a game-changing way to do business and build lasting relationships that drive value on all fronts. Massive resources led with independence, with heart, with people and purpose put first.

Believeco:Partners is launching with Believeco, our full-service marketing agency, Argyle, our public relations and reputation management agency and Castlemain, our Indigenous advisory firm. These national agencies deliver specialized skills with a combination of scale and scrappiness, data and discipline, craft and creativity to provide clients with better solutions, employees with better careers, and people with better information. We’re over three hundred people; seven offices in six provinces and two countries. But this is just the beginning.

We’re backed by the Canadian Business Growth Fund, and we’re finding independents who can add value and vision to what Believeco:Partners will deliver. This is how Believeco:Partners grows – bringing in successful independent shops that operate with purpose and strive for meaning in their work. Serving clients and teams through relationships that drive the value they care about.

In the end, it all comes down to relationships. That’s how you create meaning, that’s how you live with purpose, and that’s how you do what’s right – for our clients, for our communities and for society. That’s what I believe.

And that’s how Believeco:Partners is going to make a difference in the world.

Arlene Dickinson