An Agency Story
First hand interviews of creative, digital, advertising, and marketing agency owners that have walked the talk of running an agency business. These are riveting stories of the thrill of starting up, hardships faced, and the keys to a successful business from agency owners around the world.
Episodes
Building an well run agency often relies on mastering fundamentals that many can easily overlook. In this episode, Melanie Querry shares how she built Beyond Spots & Dots by focusing on transparency, operational discipline, and intentional growth.
Key Takeaways
- Culture is preserved through clear processes, shared standards, and consistent communication
- Educating clients builds trust, speeds up execution, and reduces costly ...
What does it take to build an agency that lasts decades and still love it? In this episode, Russel Dubree sits down with David Neff, founder of Neff, to explore the mindset behind a long, successful agency career. From relentless hustle to building powerful media relationships, David shares how creativity, persistence, and finding the "sexy" in every client account creates endless passion for his agency business.
Key Takea...
What do you do after losing your job at a coffee shop? If you’re Evan Johnson, you start a marketing agency the very next day. In this episode, Evan shares the unconventional story behind Stay Calm Industries, from landing his first clients as a barista to building a creative team and signing contracts in Iceland. It’s a candid conversation about leadership, hiring, and the “unearned confidence” that often fuels entrepreneurs at th...
Company: Legal + Creative
Guest: Sharon Toerek
Year Started: 2014
Employees: 1-10
In this episode, Sharon Toerek of Legal + Creative reframes how agency owners should think about legal. Instead of treating it like a sunk cost, she explains how contracts, IP, and insurance can actively protect margins, increase leverage, and even create new revenue streams.
If you’ve ever ignored a contract, overlooked your IP, or treated legal like a ne...
Company: Adsquire
Guest: Anthony Higman
Year Started: 2021
Employees: 1-10
What happens when a mailroom clerk discovers Google Ads and turns it into a multimillion-dollar advantage? In this episode, Anthony Higman shares his journey from corporate frustration to building Adsquire, a digital marketing agency for law firms. You’ll learn what it really takes to bet on yourself, build a high-performing team from scratch, and create mo...
Company: Ladybugz
Guest: Lysa Miller
Year Started: 2002
Employees: 11-25
What happens when a founder stops chasing growth and starts building with intention?
In this episode, Lysa Miller, Founder of Ladybugz, shares how she rebuilt her agency around simplicity, empathy, and clarity. From sprint-based web design to a mindset shift that changed everything, this conversation explores the invisible work behind building an agency you actuall...
Company: Briteweb
Guest: Jill de Chavez
Year Started: 2011
Employees: 11-25
What does it really feel like to go from employee to agency owner, especially when the pressure hits fast? In this episode, Jill de Chavez shares her journey of stepping into ownership at Briteweb and what it taught her about leadership, transparency, and building a people-first agency that aligns with values and numbers.
Episode Highlights:
- Developing futur...
Company: Elysium Marketing Group
Guest: Elyse Lupin
Year Started: 2015
Employees: 11-25
Starting an agency is hard. Starting one with a baby at home is even harder. In this episode, Elyse Lupin, Founder of Elysium Marketing Group, shares the real story behind building a food and franchise agency through uncertainty, motherhood, and constant industry change.
Key Takeaways
- Why Elyse launched her agency with a nine-month-old
- The fear of ...
Company: Essjay
Guest: Sarah Patterson
Year Started: 2011
Employees: 1-10
Money clarity changes everything. In this episode, fractional CFO Sarah Patterson breaks down how agency owners can stop guessing and start making confident financial decisions using 7 simple, repeatable habits. You’ll learn how to turn financials into a practical tool for direction, focus, and smarter leadership.
Key Takeaways
- Why clean books alone aren’t...
Company: Help.Agency
Guest: John Balauat
Year Started: 2020
Employees: 11-25
Growth doesn’t usually fail because of effort, it fails because of friction. In this episode, Russel sits down with John Balauat of Help.Agency to unpack why forcing outcomes creates pressure, bad decisions, and stalled momentum, and how the discipline of reducing friction leads to clearer sales, better partnerships, and healthier agencies.
Key Takeaways
- Why...
Company: Brolik
Guest: Jason Brewer
Year Started: 2004
Employees: 11-25
You can never underestimate the ability to measure your business. In this episode, Russel sits down with Jason Brewer of Brolik to unpack what 22 years of agency ownership actually teaches you about predictable revenue, leadership, and long-term decision-making.
Key Takeaways
- The mindset shift required to invest in growth before results show up
- How “being your ow...
Company: 30|90 Marketing
Guest: Rachel Ledet
Year Started: 2018
Employees: 1-10
Clarity in business doesn’t arrive all at once, it’s built through decisions, experience, and commitment. In this first ever "Where are they now?" episode, Russel reconnects with Rachel Ledet, Founder of 30|90 Marketing, to explore how her agency evolved over the past few years and what changed once she fully committed to a clear focus.
This episod...
Company: Smart Sites
Guest: Alex Melen
Year Started: 2011
Employees: 100+
What does it really take to build a large agency without chaos, investors, or burning out your team? In this episode, Alex Melen, Co-Founder of SmartSites, shares how starting a business at 13 shaped his long-term mindset and how disciplined measurement and intentional growth decisions helped SmartSites become a 450-person agency.
Key Takeaways
- Why agency growt...
Company: North Strett
Guest: Tom Conlon
Year Started: 2010
Employees: 1-10
In this episode, Russel sits down with Tom Conlin of North Street to unpack how an unexpectedly narrow offer became a mechanism for opening doors, reducing stress, and creating better opportunities across the business.
Key Takeaways
- How a narrowly defined offer can become a powerful door-opener for bigger work
- What it really means to “see the machinery of the b...
Company: Digital HQ
Guest: Hillary Applegate
Year Started: 2020
Employees: 11-25
What if the key to improving your agency is stepping away from your business? In this conversation, Hillary Applegate, founder of Digital HQ, shares how distance reshaped her leadership, clarified what actually matters, and strengthened the way her team operates. Listeners will walk away with a fresh perspective on agency ownership, boundaries, and letting...
Company: An Agency Story
Guest: Russel Dubree
Year Started: 2022
Employees: 1-10
Most agency owners underestimate the most powerful differentiator they have, their personal story. In this episode, Russel breaks down why your authentic “why” matters and how sharing it can deepen connection with your team, attract the right clients, and clarify your purpose.
Key Takeaways
- Why your personal story is the strongest positioning tool you’re...
Company: Scott Social
Guest: Chelsea Flower
Year Started: 2018
Employees: 1-10
What does it take to turn a disconnected, overwhelmed team into a unified, creative powerhouse? In this episode, Chelsea Flower, Founder of Scott Social, shares the pivotal mindset shifts, leadership breakthroughs, and culture changes that doubled her agency’s clients and transformed her team from stressed and siloed to connected and thriving.
Key Takeaways
Company: Neon Moth
Guest: Lisa and Jason Cerezo
Year Started: 2011
Employees: 1-10
What happens when a laid-off marketer, a former music teacher, and a chance meeting lead to a design and web agency? In this episode, Jason and Lisa Cerezo share how Neon Moth was built through partnership, necessity, and a deep commitment to serving small businesses well. You’ll hear how they grew from $300 websites to a dependable agency built on clari...
Company: My1Brand
Guest: Benjamin Behrooz
Year Started: 2008
Employees: 11-25
Doing hard things isn’t optional in entrepreneurship, it’s the requirement. In this episode, Benjamin Behrooz, Founder of My1Brand, reveals why discomfort is the doorway to better leadership, stronger teams, and real creative excellence. You’ll hear how hardship shaped his career, how he builds empowered teams, and why great agencies must invest in doing thin...
Company: White Canvas & Loop3
Guest: Nico Pisani
Year Started: 2015
Employees: 11-25
What happens when you pack a bag, buy a ticket, and bet everything on yourself?
In this episode, Nico Pisani, founder of White Canvas and Loop3, shares how one bold month in New York transformed his mindset, business, and approach to risk. From humble beginnings in Argentina to building two successful agencies, Nico’s story is a testament to a...
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