Last August, after many meetings, heavy negotiation and endless preparation/research and collaboration, we received an offer to be acquired by a larger company. Ultimately, we did not accept this offer because we could not reach an agreement on the terms. When I finalized my decision, I felt like a bride running away from her groom at the alter. I never looked back and I know I made the right decision. Similar to a happy and healthy marriage, a company merger or acquisition has to be mutually beneficial and cultures have to align. Gossip Genie is more than a company, we are a family and the decision to merge with that company would not have been the right one for my Gossip Genie family.
Fast forward to January 2016, I had just returned from my maternity leave and Marty Pesis from SociaLink Media, (Now Bobber Marketing) reached out to me. I was familiar with the company founded by the Minnesota Native brothers, Marty and Daniel Pesis, because they were a local competitor. Marty asked if we could meet to discuss a potential collaboration. Prior to meeting I did my research and was impressed with the quality of their work and client roster. Upon meeting, we quickly realized the incredible synergy between our companies from the pride we take in our work to the strong relationships we have with our clients and coworkers. The natural next step was to have our teams meet and start exploring the idea of working together. SociaLink hosted us at their office and we all clicked, instantly. Shortly after, Marty came to me with an offer that we could not refuse. He said that SociaLink was evolving into a firm dedicated to email marketing and they were seeking a partner to continue the high level of social media service to which their client’s had grown accustom. By April we settled on a mutually beneficial agreement and shortly after, we slowly transitioned the first round of clients to Gossip Genie. SociaLink held our hands through the process as well as their clients’ hands.
On June 1st, we moved into SociaLink’s office. They had more than enough space for all eight of us and two dogs to comfortably fit. The move facilitated the need for our teams to work closely on all of the various accounts. It also allows for us to offer our current clients the option to take advantage of our now (in house) email marketing experts. Now, Gossip Genie and SociaLink are like one big Brady Bunch family, the only thing missing is a housekeeper. Come visit us at our new address: 1332 N. Halsted, unit 302, Chicago, IL. 60642.
Check out our new space (we are still waiting for our bright pink desk chairs to arrive and you know I am not kidding).
