Q&A with Jessica Broome, Founder of Southpaw Insights, on Market Research
Recently we interviewed Jessica Broome, founder of Southpaw Insights, an innovative Market Research firm based in Brooklyn.
We were curious to speak to her to hear about her journey as a successful female entrepreneur, and her thoughts on how research has evolved over the course of her career and as a result of the pandemic.
I grew up in Arlington, Virginia – the suburbs of DC. DC started to feel like a small town – transient but lots of suits. Love brought me first to Brooklyn – and although that relationship did not endure, I still love NYC. I’ve tried other places, but they’re just not for me. NYC gave me the chance to carve my own path.
Nobody grows up saying I want to be a Survey Methodologist! I started out studying Liberal Arts, then joined the Peace Corps after college; thought perhaps I might want to be a teacher, and then decided not. When I came back to the States, I knew I wanted a job talking to people. I got one doing interviewing people in state prisons and city jails throughout New York State. Let’s just say I conducted a lot of research in less-than-ideal environments! Sometimes people would abscond, and I would track them down and interview them on the street or in their house. As crazy as it was, it fired my zeal for research. I went back to school at Hunter College, did an internship at Edelman PR, and worked my way through the ranks at StrategyOne – the research arm of Edelman. I absolutely loved it – and learned a tremendous amount from my amazing bosses and mentors at StrategyOne – many of whom are now on my Southpaw Insights Advisory Board! One of my bosses left and brought me with her to Ogilvy. To this day I have strong connections to people I met at Ogilvy.
In 2008 I made a number of significant decisions in one 6-month period that altered the course of my life. I applied to a Ph.D. program in Michigan, then put it on hold when I was wooed away from Ogilvy to MS&L. In less than 6 months I knew it was not the right choice for me! Then came the great crash that Fall. I quit the job and called the University of Michigan to get back into the Ph.D. program. It turned out to be perfect timing – they offered me participation in a grant program, and before I knew it I was moving to Ann Arbor MI – in January – to study and conduct Telephone Survey Interviews. By the time I graduated I had several freelance clients and knew it was time to go out on my own. I was willing to work as hard as I had to. For five years I was a digital nomad, living in New Orleans, Argentina, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic. Then I felt it was time to come back to NYC, grow my team, and really build something more substantial. In 2019 “Jessica Broome Research” became Southpaw Insights.
I am left-handed. There is a playful debate on where the term “Southpaw” started. Some say in boxing, others in baseball. My family is a big baseball family – Southpaw was a good way to honor my family. And lefties are unique! We’re known for our creative and divergent thinking. Coming at problems from different angles and arriving at different solutions… and that’s what we do!
I am active in professional associations. The Insights Association, for one. I am also really active in QRCA – Qualitative Research Consultants Association. Five-six years ago, when I was still on my own, I started talking to other solo research consultants. We informally started a “water cooler” Google group. It remains an important collaborative resource for me and has now grown to 12-15 people in my core group. We support each other – rather than competing.
In our industry, clients have opened up to the idea of doing more online… people are now much more comfortable using a research methodology that is remote. We had to adapt from in-person focus groups and interviews to more innovative virtual methods. We’re able to do so much through virtual methods! The experience has broadened what we can do, and 2020 was actually our best year yet.
Remote work is the wave of the future. The biggest lesson for me was I can take good care of my team even when they are not sitting right next to me.
1. Interest. You have to be interested and connected to people. 2. Empathy. You have to empathize – not everyone comes from the same place. We put ourselves in other people’s shoes all the time. 3. Application. We never give our clients a data dump . . .we provide insights and action items. The What. The So What. And the Now What.
You better love it. Because your business will take over. It will be the only thing you think about. Work your contacts. It’s not what you know, it’s Who you know, and who They know. 99% of my work has come from some form of word of mouth. You just never know where the next project will come from. Don’t burn your bridges.
Be able to say and explain and articulate what we do. This is how we help our clients. Even my mom can explain what I do. You just never know where your next contact will come from!
By Debbe, President & CEO | June 12, 2021
