For Julie Mackenzie, growing up around actors and other theatrical people created a strong sense that life should be lived creatively, and with plenty of improvisation. When she stepped into the business world, she was surprised to discover that not everyone held that belief.
"I was shocked at what some people considered creativity," she recalls. "Right away, I could see the need for more transformation and innovation through a creative approach."
She hatched the idea for a firm focusing on those goals, but then got sidetracked by building a marketing company with her husband. After establishing that firm, she decided to take the leap and open
Mindsailing to realize her vision.
The timing has been perfect, she notes: "We have this community of great collaborators right now. They're pursuing their interests, and trying to find a way to be valuable and relevant, while using the momentum of change to pull their businesses forward."
Mackenzie provides some wind for their sails, by bringing together a group that can deliver strategic planning and creative development, while helping clients to connect to a company's value proposition.
Mindsailing tends to work with clients in industries that are experiencing rapid change, such as healthcare, and uses social innovation to boost transformation.
"There are so many well-founded and well-researched strategic plans that simply fail," she says. "It's because those companies aren't responding to changing dynamics through creativity, or they're not finding ways to communicate in a new way."
Source: Julie Mackenzie, Mindsailing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard