What if there's something we can both learn?

I've been part of a TikTok agency before, and if I'm being fair, the experience left me rather frustrated. I never really felt they understood what I was trying to achieve with my Lives. There seemed to be an expectation that I should approach TikTok in a particular way, with games, challenges, and all the other things that seem to be part of the platform. But that's never been why I go Live.

For me, it's always been about having conversations with people. Sometimes they're lighthearted, sometimes they're quite personal, and sometimes someone joins who simply wants to talk about what's happening in their life. I don't know where those conversations are going to lead, and that's part of what I enjoy about them.

So when the agencies started approaching me again, my initial reaction was that I wasn't particularly interested. I'd tried it before, and I wasn't convinced there was much to gain from doing it again.

But then I had a conversation with one representative who approached things a little differently. Rather than immediately telling me everything they could do for me, they took the time to explain who they were, what their agency was about, and how they worked. It wasn't some extraordinary conversation, but there was something about the approach that made me willing to listen.

And I found myself thinking, why not give it another go?

So I've joined another agency, although this time I'm approaching it with a slightly different mindset.

Previously, I think I was so focused on wanting the agency to understand what I was doing that I became frustrated when they didn't seem to get it. I knew what I wanted my Lives to be, and when their suggestions didn't fit, I struggled to see how the relationship could work.

This time, I'm curious about what I might learn from them. They spend their time working with creators and understanding how TikTok operates. There are bound to be things they know that I don't, and perhaps some of those things will help me reach more people without changing what I enjoy about going Live.

But there's another side to it as well.

I've been watching how different agencies approach creators, what they focus on and what they seem to overlook. And because I've also been speaking with other coaches who are trying to find their feet on TikTok, I'm beginning to wonder whether there's a gap in how agencies understand people whose content isn't necessarily about entertainment in the conventional sense.

Coaches, mentors, and others who use these platforms to have meaningful conversations aren't always looking for the same things as other creators. Of course, we want people to find us, and we'd like our conversations to reach those who might benefit from them. But the way we go about that matters too.

Perhaps there's something I can share from my own experience that might help the agency understand that a little better. And perhaps there's something they can teach me about the platform that I've been too quick to dismiss in the past.

I haven't said any of this to them yet. It's simply how I've decided to approach the relationship.

I often describe my approach to coaching as walking beside someone rather than standing in front of them telling them which direction to take. And it occurred to me that perhaps I could bring that same thinking into this experience. They can walk beside me while I learn more about their world, and I can walk beside them while they get to understand a little more about mine.

Whether it works out, I really don't know. It's early days, and I may discover that the agency model still isn't right for what I'm trying to do. Or I might find something valuable that I hadn't considered before.

But I suppose that's what feels different this time. I'm not going into it expecting them to prove themselves to me, or assuming that I already know what they don't understand. I'm going in wanting to find out.

And as I've been thinking about it, I've wondered how often we enter relationships, whether in business or in our personal lives, with expectations already formed by something we've experienced before.

We think we know how things are going to turn out because we've been there once already. Sometimes we're right. But perhaps other times those expectations stop us from discovering something different.

I don't want to pretend I've suddenly become wonderfully open-minded about everything. I can still get frustrated, and I'm sure there will be moments when I question whether I've made the right decision.

For now, though, I'm quite happy to see where this goes.

Maybe they'll help me understand TikTok a little better. Maybe I'll help them understand coaches a little better. And perhaps we'll both discover something neither of us was expecting.

That seems like a good enough reason to give it a try.

Have a good Wednesday.

Stefan