When I founded The Garden with Shane Ogilvie, we knew we wanted to create a
different type of agency. An agency with a strategy-focused approach, where instead of relying only on our gut and immediately leaping to produce the work, we took the time to dig deeper and understand what our clients really needed from us. After 7 years, we’ve proven-out this approach, running our DIG, CULTIVATE and THRIVE workshops with clients to deeply understand the actual problem we should be solving, ensuring our work has a true impact on their business and a process for repeatable success.
Over the years, many of those same clients have asked us to help their teams hone their own skills to come up with fresh ideas against tough business challenges. After many, “Let me get back to you,” responses and running a few mini creativity training sessions, we finally took the time (thank you pandemic) to step back and create a fresh take on professional development called ThinkShop. It’s a 2 to 3-day customizable training program, delivered in an immersive setting and focused on a real-world problem vs hypothetical scenarios.
Drawing on the techniques The Garden uses every day to come up with fresh ideas that solve tough business problems for clients like SodaStream, Jack Astors, Rakuten Kobo, Samsung, and Roots, the ThinkShop training program teaches a powerful system for tackling challenges and projects as a team and coming up with far more inventive (and actionable) solutions.
If you’re looking for a skills-based toolkit for your marketing or product development team, ThinkShop could be just what you need.
Shari Walczak is one of Canada’s most recognized brand strategy experts with over 20 years of professional experience working in categories that span food and pharmaceuticals to fashion and financial services. With both a Master’s Degree in Creativity and Change Leadership and an Ivey Business Degree from Western University, Shari has built a reputation as a change agent and expert facilitator.
