Sometimes you find a client that changes the way you think

One of the best parts of my job is the people I get to meet.

I know that probably sounds like something everyone says, but it’s true.

At CN&CO we don’t really go looking for clients. We look for good people doing interesting things. If we believe in what they’re trying to achieve and think we can genuinely add value, then we get excited.

 

That’s how our relationship with Feenix started almost two years ago.

If I’m honest, I don’t think any of us expected just how invested we’d become.

What started as marketing conversations quickly became conversations about students, education, partnerships, South Africa and how we could help more people hear about the incredible work Feenix is doing.

Those are very different conversations.

 

The funny thing is, we spend surprisingly little time talking about marketing.

Instead, we spend a lot of time asking questions like, “How do we tell this story better?” or “Who else needs to hear this?” or “Who can we connect you with?”

That’s the stuff I love.

Because when you genuinely believe in the work someone is doing, promoting it doesn’t feel like work anymore.

It just feels like the right thing to do.

 

If you haven’t come across Feenix before, they’re doing something incredibly important.

Since launching in 2017, they’ve helped more than 6,000 students access tertiary education and have raised more than R350 million to help make that happen.

 

Take a second and think about that.

That’s not just thousands of students graduating.

That’s thousands of families whose futures have changed.

It’s teachers, engineers, accountants, entrepreneurs, doctors and leaders who may never have had the opportunity without someone believing in them.

That’s why this work matters.

And it’s why we care so much about helping more people discover it.

 

Last week was a really good example.

Cara-Jean Petersen, Feenix’s CEO, was featured in Business Day about new funding solutions for student education, while Yanga Totti joined CapeTalk to discuss the future of student funding in South Africa. The conversation centred around something we’ve all known for a while: there isn’t one organisation that’s going to solve the funding crisis on its own.

It’s going to take government, Business, Individuals, Universities, and organisations like Feenix, who are finding practical ways to bring all those pieces together.

 

I was genuinely proud watching those conversations happen.

Not because our team had played a role behind the scenes, but because the right voice was being heard.

Cara has a way of making complicated issues feel understandable. She doesn’t shout. She doesn’t chase headlines. She simply speaks with conviction, backs it up with experience and keeps bringing the conversation back to the students.

I admire that.

One thing people probably don’t realise is how many people work together behind the scenes to make moments like these happen.

The Feenix team live and breathe this mission every day.

The team at Alkemi do an incredible job driving Feenix’s PR on a pro bono basis, creating opportunities for these stories to be told. We love working alongside them because nobody’s worried about whose logo is biggest or who gets the credit. Everyone just wants more people talking about education and opportunity.

That’s exactly how partnerships should work.

 

Our role at CN&CO is pretty simple.

We ask questions.

We challenge ideas.

We help shape campaigns.

We connect people.

We celebrate wins.

Sometimes we write.

Sometimes we design.

Sometimes we brainstorm.

Sometimes we just sit around a table drinking coffee until someone says, “Hang on… I think we’ve got something.”

I love those moments.

They’re creative.

And they’re almost always where the best ideas come from.

 

The recent media coverage reminded me that our job isn’t really about marketing.

It’s about helping good people tell important stories.

Because every time someone reads an article about Feenix, listens to an interview, funds a student or introduces a new corporate partner: 

A young person gets another chance.

Someone gets to stay at university.

A family gets to dream a little bigger.

 

When you think about it like that, it’s hard not to get excited.

So if you’ve got a few minutes this week, I’d encourage you to read the Business Day article, listen to the CapeTalk interview and spend a bit of time learning about Feenix.