A Sense of Pride for Skilled Trades with TrueWerk Founder Brian Ciciora

September 2, 2021

A Sense of Pride for Skilled Trades with Truewerk Founder Brian Ciciora

“As a company and as a brand, how do we reach, not just the people who ultimately do the work. How do we reach the people beyond them? I think that’s the question, from a marketing standpoint or a community-building standpoint, how do you reach people beyond the first layer of your audience. How do you get to the next audience?

Here’s a great example. I think solving some of these issues revolves around parents. How do I reach mom and dad? So that when they’re talking to Sarah, or Jimmy and Sarah and Jimmy are trying to figure out at 16 or 17 years old, what’s out there, what options do they have? How do we reach that group so that the opportunity here is understood early on? “

-Brian Ciciora

Truewerk Work Summits and Distribution Avenues

Steve suggests reaching out to young people in the field and having them do a “Day in the Life Series.” Show the ins and outs of the business, what the day looks like, the work, the flow and using that content to show the lifestyle in a way that appeals to young people and that their parents can understand as well, he stresses the next level is the right distribution partner.

In this case, potentially partnering up with some Gen Z influencers to position the Truewerk brand with these younger influencers and create content that highlights their work and what they’re doing. Especially in a super cool, creative way.

Then Steve suggests creating some limited edition collaboration ventures with other brands and people associated with the work.

The other thing that Steve suggests that could be a more heady intellectual exercise would be to do a “Future of Truewerk Summit” where some leaders, influencers, educators, and guidance counselors across the country could meet and discuss the future in this way. Steve also suggests doing it in conjunction with the National Hardwoods association or another partner that would make sense.

It could even be a video summit, and every school that registers gets a kit. The kit could include a brochure that they hand out to all of their kids in addition to posters that hang in the guidance counselor’s office or the school’s main office. It can be its own branded press kit that also helps to educate kids, parents, and teachers.

Steve says the key is finding complementary, not competitive brands and tapping into their audiences in terms of brand building.

Not a Story of Humility

As for advice for the community, Brain has this to say!

“I would want people to know that there is more to life and work in the skilled trades than is often portrayed. The ideas that are often communicated about white-collar work, ingenuity, creativity, entrepreneurship, problem-solving, those things happen in the skilled trades every bit as much.

You need to know that, and you know if you’re on the job site every day, you do know that, but you don’t always recognize it, and I need you to recognize that, right?

Know that you have all of those same things going on, and you need to stand up and make sure other people get it so that those things don’t get washed aside.

That’s what I want you to know, what I want you to do is “trade up,” you know, find the opportunity, if trading up means taking your first job in the skilled trades and leaving the college path to somebody else, because that’s what’s right for you, yeah, do it trade up!

That way, if trading up to you means “I’m going to move from being a mechanic into doing tree work.” then do that. If it means “I’m going to take my first step in the entrepreneurial journey and start my own business.” trade up, do it.

Find ways to test and look before you leap, as we’ve talked about, but fundamentally do it. I want you to feel a sense of pride. This is not a story of humility, you know, the skilled trades have been pushed down into this “humble, put your head down and your nose down and just do the work” kind of narrative. This is not that story, and that isn’t to say you need to be cocky or arrogant, but I want you to feel a sense of pride, I want you to feel a sense of dignity, and I want you to feel a sense of connectedness. Because that all exists here, and it’s time for that to be the way we are [portrayed] in this community.”