We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aaron Knipp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aaron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

When we started Cicospace, it was just me handling everything. I spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of all the services we wanted to offer. As the demand started to grow, it was clear that I needed a team. Now, we have a solid group across multiple departments, and it feels like we’re growing every month. Hiring was a lengthy process but an enjoyable one—I really liked getting to know the candidates and their stories. I was looking for people who not only had the right skills but also fit well with our culture and the rest of the team. If I were to do it all over again, I might have brought on a team a bit earlier, but the early days of going it alone helped lay a strong foundation for Cicospace’s growth in the public relations/keynote sector.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name’s Aaron Knipp, I’m a published author but more known for Cicospace. We are now the largest PR firm for keynote speakers, blending traditional PR offerings like featured articles and press distribution with extensive video production services for some of the well-regarded names on stage. Not only do we delve into creating sizzle reels, online course production, and other speaker-focused assets, but we also film your speaking events to capture the essence of your presentation style and content.

Additionally, we’ve branched out to host our own series of speaking events known as Cicospace Events. Although not affiliated with TEDx, these events echo a similar sentiment of fostering a platform for thought leaders to share their insights and stories. Our aim with Cicospace Events is to further provide a stage for speakers to reach a wider audience, while also creating more visual and narrative assets that can bolster their appeal to speaking bureaus.

Our approach is all about creating a suite of services that not only enhances your visibility but also builds a compelling narrative around your brand to resonate with speaking bureaus and the audience at large.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

We are entirely self-funded, which, in my view, adds a layer of “this has to work” urgency, especially when it’s your own money on the line. This sense of urgency might not be as pronounced if there were external funds flowing in. I believe that once you grasp the ropes of running a business and garner some experience, the source of funding becomes less of a concern. However, during the initial phase, I found that self-funding served as a powerful motivator, propelling me through the challenges of those first few years.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The challenge initially was doing everything myself. As I mentioned earlier about building a team, letting go was quite tough for me. The goal was to create a self-sufficient team that would allow me to step away from the business when needed. However, reaching that point required a fair amount of personal growth and learning to delegate effectively. Over time, I was able to build a trustworthy team, which in turn, allowed me to focus on other crucial aspects of growing Cicospace.

Contact Info:

• Website: cicospace.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-knipp-69a3a651/

Image Credits
Aaron Knipp – Cicospace