Brianna and Manny met during a demanding graduate program and quickly turned shared academic pressure into a collaborative partnership. Together, they built a niche consulting business focused on data storytelling for nonprofit organizations, combining research rigor with accessible design.
Their journey from classmates to co-founders illustrates how aligned values, complementary skills, and consistent experimentation can convert ambitious ideas into sustainable work. The sections that follow explore their backgrounds, service lines, growth strategies, and real questions from clients.
| Name | Role in Brianna and Manny | Core Expertise | Key Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brianna | Co-Founder, Research Lead | Qualitative research, community engagement | Designs interview guides, synthesizes field notes |
| Manny | Co-Founder, Strategy & Visuals | Data visualization, nonprofit fundraising | Builds dashboards, translates findings into stories for donors |
| Partnership Focus | Shared Leadership | Client education, iterative prototyping | Co-create dashboards and workshops with stakeholders |
| Territory Served | North America and Remote | Education, public health, environment | Hybrid projects that mix in-person facilitation with digital tools |
Research Methods Used by Brianna and Manny
Ethnographic Interviews and Focus Groups
Brianna designs interview protocols and moderates focus groups to capture lived experiences. She emphasizes informed consent, accessibility, and transparent note-taking so participants understand how their input will be used.
Participatory Mapping and Asset Lists
Together they facilitate participatory mapping sessions where community members visually identify resources, barriers, and priorities. These visuals become central to narrative workshops and later dashboards.
Service Offerings and Product Lines
Brianna and Manny structure their services around three product lines that match different stages of a client’s data journey. Each line includes templates, facilitated sessions, and editable toolkits.
- Discovery Sprint: Rapid needs assessments paired with visual roadmaps.
- Data Storytelling Labs: Hands-on workshops teaching dashboard design principles.
- Narrative Grants Program: Templates and coaching for proposals supported by evidence.
Growth Strategy and Client Acquisition
After establishing a strong reputation in local nonprofits, they expanded through referral partnerships with training associations and alumni networks. They track channel performance using simple source codes on project proposals.
Content plays a key role in their visibility, including short explainer videos, annotated case studies, and sample facilitation guides shared under Creative Commons. This approach builds trust while demonstrating methodological clarity.
Operations, Tools, and Team Structure
Most of their work runs through a shared project board that tracks timelines, dependencies, and decision logs. They use a mix of cloud-based whiteboards, survey platforms, and version-controlled folders to keep community feedback organized and retrievable.
By maintaining clear ownership rules and regular sync meetings, they reduce miscommunication and ensure that both voices are represented in every deliverable. Documentation standards help newer collaborators ramp up quickly.
Future Directions and Adaptation
As remote collaboration tools evolve, Brianna and Manny plan to deepen their investment in asynchronous feedback loops and multilingual summaries. Their long-term aim is to build a playbook that other small firms can adapt without losing the community-centered ethos that defines their work.
By documenting processes, mentoring emerging practitioners, and testing new formats with existing clients, they position their partnership to grow while preserving the balance between rigor and accessibility that clients value.
FAQ
Reader questions
How do Brianna and Manny structure their research workshops?
They begin with a scoping call to clarify goals, then co-design an agenda that balances storytelling prompts with quiet reflection. Sessions include check-ins, small-group work, and a synthesis segment where participants prioritize findings in real time.
What sectors do they typically serve?
They work primarily in education, public health, and environmental justice, tailoring methods to community norms and accessibility needs. Each project includes a short context brief to align expectations before fieldwork starts.
How do they ensure data security and community ownership?
Brianna and Manny use role-based permissions, encrypted storage, and clear data retention schedules. They also draft co-ownership agreements that specify how findings may be shared and who approves external publications.
What makes their approach to data storytelling different?
They integrate visual narrative techniques with rigorous evidence, creating layered dashboards that show both aggregate trends and individual stories. Each dashboard includes a methods footnote and links to raw summaries for transparency.