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
From Seatmate Stranger to Business Catalyst
Launching a business while raising twins? That’s just the start of Michelle Abdow’s remarkable journey. In this episode, she shares how a chance encounter on a flight led to a game-changing client and why building a resilient, feedback-driven culture has helped her agency thrive through decades of change.
Inside this episode:
- The bold moment she launched her agency with newborn...
How Employee Turnover is a Growth Strategy
Letting go of great team members may feel like a setback, but what if it’s the key to long-term growth? In this episode, Jessica Munday, founder of Trio Solutions, shares how she’s built a thriving agency by empowering her team, embracing turnover, and creating opportunities beyond the walls of her business.
Inside this episode:
- Why mentorship is your agency’s hidden retention strategy
- How...
Company: Twelve Legs Marketing
Guests: Ralitsa Carter
Year Started: 2018
Employees: 11-25
What do ice cream, spreadsheets, and an Emmy have in common? In this episode, Ralitsa Carter, Co-Founder of Twelve Legs Marketing, shares how financial discipline, intentional growth, and creativity built her agency from the ground up. If you're an agency owner chasing sustainable success, this episode is your speed.
Key Takeaways
- The ...
Company: Musimack Marketing
Guests: Stacey McCormack
Year Started: 2013
Employees: 1-10
The Ballad of the Reluctant Owner
What if the path to entrepreneurship wasn’t planned, but pushed?
In this episode, Stacey McCormack, founder of Musimack Marketing, shares how a layoff, a government grant, and a deep desire to help others led her from corporate life to agency ownership. If you’ve ever felt uncertain about your journey, Stace...
Company: aStash Web Design & Marketing
Guests: Kateryna Quinn
Year Started: 2018
Employees: 1-10
From Ukraine to Colorado: Building a Family-First Agency Against All Odds
When rejection closes doors, grit builds new ones. In this episode, Kateryna Quinn, founder of aStash Web Design & Marketing, shares her inspiring journey from aspiring tennis pro in Ukraine to running a thriving digital agency in the U.S. You'll hear how ...
Company: Faceted Media
Guests: Kimberly Hogate
Year Started: 2000
Employees: 25-50
What if losing everything was exactly what you needed to build something better? In this episode, Kimberly Hogate, founder of Faceted Media, shares the raw truth about starting over after being fired from the law firm she helped built from the ground up and how that moment became the catalyst for a 10+ year agency journey.
She opens up about the realities...
Company: Moxie Sozo
Guests: Derek Springston
Year Started: 2000
Employees: 25-50
From Unpaid Intern to Owner: The Moxie Sozo Journey
What happens when you bet on yourself, move across the country, and work for free. All just for a shot at doing meaningful work? In this episode, Derek Springston, Partner at Moxie Sozo, shares how that bet paid off, leading him from an unpaid intern to co-owner of a 25-year-old agency. You’ll hear what it...
Company: Local Image
Guests: Holly Bruns and Amber McDonald
Year Started: 2019
Employees: 11-25
When Hope Meets Strategy
What happens when you leap before you’re ready and figure out the strategy later? In this episode, Holly Bruns and Amber McDonald, founders of Local Image, share how daring moves, deep faith, and smart planning fueled their agency’s successful trajectory. If you're weighing risk and reward, this conversation will...
Company: Growth Marketing Werks
Guest: Suzanne Coriell
Year Started: 2011
Employees: 1-10
What happens when you build an agency around energy, intentionality, and a deep sense of why? Suzanne Coriell, Founder of Growth Marketing Werks, shares her journey from Chicago’s ad scene to Colorado’s mountaintops where a single ski lift conversation sparked the creation of a mission-driven media agency. This episode is packed with fresh perspec...
Company: BubbleUp
Guest: Lee Totten
Year Started: 2004
Employees: 50-99
Working with rockstars sounds glamorous but behind the scenes is a high-stakes, high-pressure world where websites crash, fans demand instant support, and one missed detail can derail a global livestream. In this episode, Lee Totten, co-founder of BubbleUp, shares how his agency became the digital backbone for artists like Jimmy Buffett, Foo Fighters, and The Lumin...
Company: Mountaintop Web Design
Owners: Josiah Bussing
Year Started: 2013
Employees: 1-10
Ever felt like you accidentally backed into entrepreneurship? That’s exactly how Josiah Bussing’s journey began. In this episode, he shares how helping his dad fix a website sparked a passion that became Mountaintop Web Design and how he plans to grow his agency while staying rooted in value, ethics, and continuous improvement.
Inside this episode:...
Company: Trace Brand Building
Owners: Tracey Felicidade Jones
Year Started: 2022
Employees: 1-10
What do a cross-country road trip in an old ambulance and global brand strategy have in common? Tracey Felicidade Jones, founder of Trace Brand Building, shares her wild entrepreneurial journey from escaping danger in South Africa to building a purpose-driven agency in the U.S.
Inside this episode:
- How Tracey built an international agency...
Company: LFG Media Group
Owners: Jonathan Daniele
Year Started: 2022
Employees: 1-10
What happens when you stop playing it safe and go all-in on performance? In this episode, Jonathan Daniele, founder of LFG Media Group, shares how he built a $2M+ agency in under two years by shifting from monthly retainers to a bold pay-per-call model.
From call center grit to entrepreneurial growth, Jonathan opens up about the risks, rewards, and...
Company: The James Agency
Owners: Veronique James
Year Started: 2005
Employees: 50 – 99
What happens when life throws you a massive financial setback before your career even starts?
Veronique James didn’t just overcome adversity, she used it as fuel to build The James Agency, a powerhouse of creativity and strategy. In this episode, she shares her journey from early struggles to scaling a successful agency, her leadership philosophy, a...
Company: Set Creative Studios
Owner(s): Emily Teater
Year Started: 2019
Employees: 1 – 10
What if running a business felt more like managing a family team?
In this episode, Emily Teater, Owner and Founder of Set Creative Studios in Boulder, Colorado, shares how entrepreneurship and parenting intersect in powerful ways.
From leading with intentionality to ensuring your business solves real problems, not just showcases a skill, Emily’s sto...
Company: Tributary Design Studio
Owner(s): Marielle Balogh
Year Started: 2017
Employees: 1 – 10
Branding isn’t just about looks, it’s about trust, credibility, and making your business stand out. In this episode, Marielle Balogh, Founder of Tributary Design Studio, discusses branding and the tough challenge to stand out to your best customers.
Inside this episode:
- Why a broad range of experiences can strengthen your brand a...
Company: Focus Lab
Owner(s): Erik Reagan, Bill Kenney, & Will Straughn
Year Started: 2010
Employees: 26 – 50
In this episode of An Agency Story, Russel Dubree sits down with Erik Reagan, co-founder of Focus Lab, to discuss how intentional culture isn’t just a feel-good concept, it’s a key driver of business success.
Erik shares how Focus Lab went from an unstructured team to a culture-first agency, where values aren’t just words on ...
Company: Crowd Digital Marketing
Owners: Alex Schupp
Year Started: 2017
Employees: 1 – 10
Most agency acquisitions are long, strategic, and carefully planned—but what if a growth opportunity landed in your inbox out of nowhere?
That’s exactly what happened to Alex Schupp, founder of Crowd Digital Marketing. One day, an unexpected email led to an opportunity to acquire another agency’s clients. At first, he almost dismissed it. But after...
Company: Prospect Future
Owners: Matthew Regenie
Year Started: 2019
Employees: 1 – 10
What happens when your biggest client vanishes overnight? Or when you realize—too late—that avoiding sales is holding your agency back? In this episode of An Agency Story, Matt Regenie of Prospect Future shares the raw truth about the challenges of scaling an agency, the mistakes that cost him years of growth, and the mindset shifts that changed every...
Do 80% of Agency Goals Fail Before February?
Most agency owners start the year with ambitious goals but many start slipping by February. Why? Because setting a goal isn’t enough. You need the right strategy.
In this episode, I break down:
- The biggest mistakes agency owners make in goal setting
- How to reverse-engineer success instead of relying on hope
- Why arbitrary timeframes can sabotage your progress
- The key to setting goals y...
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