Jessica Dimcevski is the founder and inventive director of Blurr Bureau, a worldwide brand-building company and enterprise studio recognised for pushing boundaries and redefining the artistic partnership mannequin. With over a decade of expertise at high technique and innovation companies in New York and Melbourne, Jess has labored with world giants resembling Nike, PepsiCo, and HelloFresh, whereas additionally championing challengers like The Division of Mattress Intentions, Society De La Rassi, and Heaviko.
However past the artistic work, Jess is captivated with constructing a mannequin that is financially sustainable, human-first, and grounded in belief. On this version of Ladies in Creativity, a part of our Monetary Transparency theme, Jess displays on navigating pay gaps, pricing confidently, and why even the “much less attractive” tasks are price their weight in gold.
How did you be taught to navigate pricing, salaries, or negotiations in your subject?
Salaries: I have been lucky to have labored within the business for a decade earlier than beginning Blurr, so I’ve a basic thought of what value vary every function falls inside. However for extra correct and present knowledge, I flip to recruiters for recommendation. Having an amazing relationship with an amazing recruiter who additionally values transparency and long-term relationships is vital. Those that have been employed for that function earlier than in my business and for firms of our dimension and market presence. I ship them profiles of individuals I am contemplating hiring, together with their suggestions on the wage vary to supply, to make sure that what I supply is each market charge and acceptable for his or her ability set.
Navigating pricing and negotiations has been a studying curve all through my profession, each personally and now because the founding father of an company. Discussing cash, particularly as a girl, can nonetheless really feel taboo at instances, even in 2025. Society tends to be extra essential of girls relating to discussions round pricing, earnings, and revenue, whereas males usually face much less scrutiny or extra acceptance. However now, after years of negotiation, it is one thing I am extra assured with – each dialog uncovers a brand new studying alternative.
What performs into all of this? Forecasting financials! On this business, it may be a difficult subject. Initiatives can come and go in waves, particularly on this local weather, the place issues are extra unpredictable than ever. That is when data actually is energy; the extra you perceive about your monetary state of affairs (as a founder) and what you are promoting, the extra assured and strategic you may be in making choices. This helps us once we’re contemplating investing in a model financially, in addition to when hiring and negotiating.
A few of my largest classes have been the significance of transparency with each purchasers and my workforce and the worth of investing time in monetary planning and mentorship. It’s a must to spend money on your self; nobody else will do this for you.
Have you ever ever skilled pay disparity or monetary challenges in your profession?
Like many ladies within the artistic business, I’ve encountered pay disparity—it is an ongoing challenge that persists throughout the sphere. As a founder working an company, this problem turns into much more obvious when talking with different feminine founders, particularly these navigating the fundraising panorama.
Inc. lately shared some eye-opening stats for IWD: Whereas male and female-founded firms have adopted related development patterns in deal worth and rely, female-founded firms obtained simply 20% of complete funding and 25% of offers. For all-female groups, these numbers plummet to a staggering 1% of VC funding and 6% of complete offers in 2024.
This creates a cycle of inequality; feminine founders elevate much less, which limits their entry to high-quality branding and manufacturing, in the end weakening their capability to face out and reach an already aggressive market. Do I feel this stops ladies? Completely not! Ladies will at all times prevail, and I hope to see VC corporations push for extra equality out there.
What’s the most effective piece of monetary recommendation you have obtained as a artistic skilled?
Know your price, be affordable and again up your requests with examples.
An ex-boyfriend of mine requested for a elevate 3 instances in 18 months, till he received it. He wasn’t afraid to ask for what he felt he was price. And with each rejection, he stored monitor of his wins for the enterprise within the lead-up to again up his case. Ladies can typically devalue themselves out of a worry of coming throughout as demanding or tough, or the basic – caring an excessive amount of about what individuals consider us – attributable to societal pressures to ‘be good’. We may give so much, with out conserving monitor. It is admirable in day-to-day interactions, however in enterprise, conserving monitor of your wins and affect helps strengthen your case.
Alongside your wins, be affordable and hold monitor of the ‘losses’. Work on the issues you may enhance. This can assist you to see each factors of view – from the enterprise perspective in addition to your individual, and can assist you to put together for negotiation with empathy.
I take into account myself an affordable particular person. So, going into negotiations, I’m going in with the mindset of “If I can persuade myself, I can persuade anybody.” Going into monetary negotiations with a plan. Take the time to suppose two steps forward and plan for as many outcomes as potential, so that you’re ready; you realize what you are keen to barter, and what’s off the desk. Supplying you with the most effective probability at not being caught off guard. If you’re caught off guard, ask for extra time to consider a response. Do not be pressured into a solution on the spot or while feelings are heightened.
How do you stability making a residing with doing work that feels significant?
Balancing monetary sustainability with significant work is an ongoing problem for any small studio. The truth is, essentially the most creatively thrilling tasks do not at all times include the most important budgets. We work with so many unimaginable founders initially of their branding journey, usually with tight assets, particularly feminine founders who statistically obtain far much less funding. Supporting them and including worth to the model their constructing is not simply in regards to the artistic work; it extends to being their thought companion on the whole lot from: asking the suitable questions in analysis and early levels to get the suitable insights, how you can make investments what they’ve financially (based mostly on what we have seen work up to now) for advertising spend. And looping them in with our contacts within the business for authorized, trademark, and promoting specialists, and so on.
At Blurr, my purpose is to make sure our workforce feels creatively fulfilled and aligned with our shared values whereas additionally conserving the enterprise thriving. I am an enormous believer in investing in your workforce for the long term.
Happily, our bureau mannequin allows us to scale assets up and down as wanted, alongside my core workforce. I am a conservative hirer as a result of I wish to develop Blurr sustainably. We take a look at roles with freelancers first earlier than hiring them full-time.
And when issues are sluggish, the core workforce get to combine issues up – engaged on issues they would not normally – while nonetheless utilising their core strengths. I imagine this may in the end profit the enterprise in the long term, when issues decide up and it is time to develop once more. I rent with this angle, in search of individuals who can adapt to the enterprise because it ebbs and flows, and never let their ego get in the way in which.
Not each mission can be shiny, award-winning work, however I imagine all of it has worth. One among our cultural values is ‘Each mission is a win’. We do not play favourites. All companies have tasks that hold the lights on, and we actually view each mission with the identical quantity of sparkle. And I do not simply say that. We’ve a confirmed monitor file of persistently over-delivering for even the smallest purchasers and tasks. From small sprints to labour of affection, we’re equal opportunists to all tasks, massive and small.
The much less ‘attractive’ tasks usually give us the liberty to spend money on what fuels our creativity – attending inspiring conferences, taking up ardour tasks, and even simply with the ability to wine and dine with the workforce and our purchasers to attach and have fun – a bonus that comes with working with companions within the hospitality sector! There’s magic in these moments, too, and that is simply as essential because the work itself.
One other cultural worth of ours that results in significant work is taking ‘Opportune Dangers’. Enterprise could be a little blurry. We give attention to figuring out the suitable alternatives and provoking our purchasers to take calculated dangers that profit their model. We additionally comply with this with the founders/manufacturers we spend money on at Blurr.
