Over the past decade, Lauryn Warnick has quietly built Villain Branding into a trusted partner for high-growth B2B companies navigating moments where brand decisions carry real weight, scale, complexity, leadership alignment, and pressure. In the past two years, she's doubled Villain's revenue, putting the firm in the rare 2% of women-owned businesses to cross the seven-figure threshold.

But that growth didn't come from doing more. It came from doing less, and from making a painful identity shift that most founders avoid talking about.

If you've ever wondered...

1. How do I know when it's time to stop being a practitioner and start being a CEO?
2. What does it actually look like to scale past a million without burning out?
3. How do I invest in my business when those investments hurt my personal income?
4. When is the right time to rebrand, and what problem should it actually solve?

...this one's for you.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro & Meet Lauryn Warnick

1. Villain Branding's journey to seven figures and the 2% of women-owned businesses
2. Why Melissa considers Lauryn one of her best collaborators
3. The importance of finding advisors who don't have anything to prove

(00:05:59) The Three Eras of Building an Agency

1. Freelancer era: saying yes to everything, everything feels urgent
2. Collective era: pulling in talented peers, still not quite the leader
3. Consultancy era: running an actual business with systems and accountability
4. Why "era-ing" your 10-year business isn't silly, it's necessary

(00:11:38) The Identity Shift from Strategist to CEO

1. Why your career identity might be holding your agency back
2. The difference between starting a business in your 20s versus your 30s and 40s
3. "I never want to be in the room where I'm the smartest person"
4. Building systems that make it impossible to slip back into day-to-day work

(00:21:50) From Scarcity to Right: The Mindset Shift

1. Moving from "more, more" to "right, right"
2. Being confident saying who you're NOT for anymore
3. The temptation to grow the way you're "supposed to" vs. what's right for your business
4. Why "do no harm" matters as you scale

(00:31:36) Building Trust in Yourself as a Founder

1. The pressure of having your husband quit his job to work in your business
2. Imposter syndrome around calling yourself a CEO
3. Why thinking about what you'd do if it didn't work out actually builds confidence
4. Listening to external validation when internal belief is shaky

(00:39:19) The Rebrand: When Your Brand Lags Behind Your Business

1. How to know when a rebrand is actually necessary (not just "everyone else is doing it")
2. When your audience shifts but your story hasn't caught up
3. The workarounds that signal your brand isn't working anymore
4. Why your brand has to be bigger than you when you're selling to enterprise

(00:46:30) Investing in Your Business When It Hurts

1. The reality: you probably made more money before you hit a million
2. Year one investment: operations and systems (not sexy, but crucial)
3. Year two focus: revenue generation after the foundation is built
4. What to do when your first investment doesn't pan out

(00:56:50) What Villain Wants to Be Known For

1. Making brand useful at scale, measurable, embedded in business, not theoretical
2. Brand as operational leverage, not just a marketing thing
3. Why agencies need to tie their work to ROI (especially now with AI)
4. "Less is more. Do a thing really well, then get rid of the rest."

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

1. Episode 35: Become the CEO of Your Life with Amanda Goetz
2. Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community
3. Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Lauryn:

1. Villain Branding: villainbranding.com
2. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurynwarnick
3. Instagram: instagram.com/lauryn.warnick

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

1. Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com
2. Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co
3. Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact
4. Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co