Like many companies, Minneapolis marketing firm Antenna was founded to solve a problem. Founder Brendon Schrader was in a bind. He was on the fast track and realized he wasn’t willing to accept a professional career that didn’t include a healthier work-life balance.
So, Brendon decided to take matters into his own hands. In 2006, he left his job and became a freelance consultant, founding Antenna. As his clientele grew, he built teams and engaged other independent freelance professionals.
Founding Career Flexibility
In this Q&A, we were able to catch up with Brendon and discuss the “aha” moment that led him to create Antenna and the ongoing impact of flexibility on the company’s growth and development.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What moment did you realize there was both a gap and an opportunity that you could fill?
As a young professional, I worked hard to make it up the corporate ladder. I’d worked full-time through college and business school. I’d jumped at every opportunity along the way. And in my late 20s, I found myself exactly where I’d always wanted to be—working as a marketer inside a respected Fortune 100 organization, on the fast track to advancement.
But I looked around and saw a lot of cracks in the system. I wondered if the hard-charging, always-on work environment would be a good fit for me long-term. I saw people in jobs above me who were overworked and without any sort of balance. I knew I wanted to create something different for myself and my family.
The “aha” moment came during a vacation with my wife in Switzerland. We’d saved and planned for months, and then I found myself sitting inside my hotel room, staring at my laptop instead of enjoying the dream vacation with my wife. Something had to change.
I started Antenna to give people a new way to work. I wanted to connect intelligent, hardworking marketers with interesting, fulfilling work that made sense for their personal lives. I also saw a huge opportunity to connect marketing organizations with the flexible talent they needed. We’ve built Antenna specifically to solve these challenges.
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What flexible and remote work policies does Antenna have in place for its employees? How have those policies evolved?
We know that people’s work needs and preferences change over time. With that in mind, we help Antenna consultants shift their work obligations in a way that works for them. For example, we have several consultants who work heavy periods for several months in a row and then take off for a month or two to travel or spend time with family.
Additionally, we have parents who work specific schedules so they can be at home when their kids get off the school bus. The goal is to provide many client opportunities that support these work scenarios. Flexible work is baked into the business model.
For our corporate teams that support our consultants, we have many policies designed to provide flexibility to our staff. All our teams can work remotely as needed and are equipped with the tools and technology to excel. We want people to work smart and be productive.
Besides a few weekly in-person team meetings, people have the freedom to work how and wherever suits them best. And for most people, that may mean something different each day. We work hard to balance building an internal culture against giving people the flexibility they need to be successful.
Why is providing benefits and career growth important to Antenna’s model, and how does your team receive that?
Antenna consultants truly get the best of both worlds—they work on a wide variety of projects and enjoy the flexibility of being independent. But beyond that, they get support from Antenna that they wouldn’t have on their own. We offer medical, dental, life insurance, retirement savings benefits, continuing education, and a peer-to-peer online community.
Our consultants consistently give us feedback about our benefits and community-focused approach. The goal is to provide consultants with an infrastructure that helps them do freelance consulting as a career without giving up access to benefits and learning opportunities.
How would you characterize Antenna’s corporate culture, and how do your clients respond to that?
At Antenna, our goal is to build community inside and out. Inside our organization, that means supporting and helping each other learn and grow as individuals and marketers. As we grow, our culture evolves, but my goal is to keep culture the top priority.
We live by six values: open, authentic, connected, generous, adventurous, and ambitious. We all work hard to keep them front and center as we grow and go through times of change. And we strive to celebrate these values in each other and our daily work.
Outside our walls, we’re passionate about improving the larger community. Recently, we launched the “Antenna Good Works One for One” program. Every hour our consultants work, we provide a meal to someone in need through a local food bank, Second Harvest Heartland, and Feeding America. Antenna consultants and staff employees also volunteer at the food bank every quarter.
We’ve built the company structure to encourage volunteering and giving back. Antenna employees and consultants can take time for their passion projects. In practice, this has supported Antenna team members in everything from raising money for classrooms in Uganda, volunteering worldwide, and founding a local nonprofit connecting professionals with social projects.
Overall, the market and our clients have responded positively to our business and culture. One of our favorite recognitions was from a Best of Business Award by Twin Cities Business magazine. Local businesses vote on other companies that they feel are making an impact.
How will the company’s commitment to flexibility help it achieve those goals?
Looking ahead, Antenna will continue to respond to needs in the marketplace, and we’re working on new and innovative products and services to extend our current business. But in the end, our entire business model is built on offering flexibility to clients and consultants. And that will never change.
What Is the Result of Schrader’s Flexible Vision?
It turns out his plan worked brilliantly. Minneapolis-based Antenna became one of Minnesota’s fastest-growing firms, with more than 100 consultants who offer a mix of talent that no other company can match.
And he’s doing it all with a focus on flexibility, finding that his most rewarding moments are those in which he can “help people do the work they love, on their terms and schedule, meeting their unique needs.”
“We’ve put people who struggled in the economic downturn back to work,” he says. “And we’ve found assignments that have helped people create the balance they need at home for their families.”
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