An Agency Story

What if one of the greatest investments you could make in your business was sharing what you've learned with others? In this episode, Rhea Allen, co-founder of Peppershock Media, shares how 23 years of agency ownership have shaped her commitment to teaching, mentorship, and giving back—and why helping others grow can be just as valuable as growing your own business.

Inside this episode:

• How community involvement and giving back helped build the foundation of Peppershock Media.
• Why teaching the next generation of marketers has made Rhea a better business leader.
• How the Peppershock Powwow strengthen relationships, culture, and shared goals.
• An interesting encounter with Han Solo

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

Can you build a successful agency without sacrificing the life you want to live? In this episode, Kate Manfull, Founder of Fierce Creative, shares how she turned late-night freelance projects into a creative agency built around flexibility, high expectations, and a people-first culture. From trusting her instincts to challenging traditional work schedules, Kate offers a refreshing perspective on building a business on your own terms.

Inside this episode:

• How a $1,000 freelance project with a two-week-old baby sparked an entrepreneurial journey.
• Why Kate bought a building and hired her first employee despite being told her business plan wouldn't work.
• How a 9-to-4 workday became the foundation for a flexible, high-performing agency culture.
• Why supporting your team's personal ambitions can lead to better work and stronger relationships.

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

What if some of the best business opportunities come when you stop looking for them? In this episode, Claire Ransome, founder of Aloha Life Digital, shares her unexpected journey from publishing to entrepreneurship, the painful lessons of losing a business, and how embracing serendipity has shaped her approach to building an agency.

Inside this episode:

• How unexpected connections can create extraordinary business opportunities.
• Why approaching relationships without expectations can be a powerful business strategy.
• The lessons learned from growing a business tenfold in six weeks, only to eventually close its doors.
• How past failures can reshape your definition of success and influence the business you build next.
• Why preparing your business for growth can be more valuable than simply chasing more sales.

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

What happens when you stop selling what you know and start solving a problem the market has overlooked? In this episode, Maddi Clarke, Founder of Yada Yada Studio, shares her unconventional journey into agency ownership, how she spotted an opportunity in social-first production, and why empathy might be one of the most powerful competitive advantages in business.

Inside this episode:

• How a career spanning finance, reality TV, and winemaking led to entrepreneurship.
• Recognizing a gap in the market and building a business around it.
• The unexpected transition from being a talented producer to becoming a business owner.
• Why the experience you create for clients matters just as much as the work you deliver.
• How empathy, client education, and clear boundaries create better relationships and better outcomes.

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

Chris Vendilli went from Air Force security forces and police detective to building a 17-person agency, starting out as a half million dollar side hustle. In this episode, Chris shares the investments, hiring lessons, and unconventional acquisitions that helped shape Vendilli, along with what he's learned about evaluating opportunities, good and bad.

Inside this episode:

•  Why investing in sales training became one of Chris’s most important early decisions. 
•  The hard-earned lesson behind hiring slow, especially when the need feels urgent. 
•  How an unexpected tragedy led to Chris’s first acquisition experience
•  What Chris looks for in an agency acquisition
•  Why uncertainty around AI may create both risk and opportunity for agency owners willing to think differently.

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

Bryce North didn’t set out to build an agency, but years of launching products, raising capital, and recovering from failure taught him something important: credibility and relationships matter long before the pitch. In this episode, Bryce, founder of Don’t Be a Little Pitch, shares his unconventional approach to standing out, earning trust, and building an agency people genuinely want to work with.

Inside this episode:

• Why you haven’t earned the right to pitch just because someone agreed to talk to you
• What dating can teach you about sales
• Why your agency’s rough edges may actually make you more credible, memorable, and trustworthy
• How a client who got zero leads in four months still became one of Bryce’s most valuable agency experiences
• Why relationships are the real currency behind retention, referrals, and long-term growth

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

The most important shifts in an agency often happen at unexpected intersections: creativity and technology, lived experience and opportunity, or the freedom that got you here and the structure required to move forward. Steven Wakabayashi shares how those intersections have shaped Stranger Creative and why building a sustainable agency means knowing what to protect, what to let go of, and what to build next.

Inside this episode:

•  How mentors and unexpected experiences can unlock creative potential 
•  Why the systems you build should serve your next chapter
•  The tension between creative flexibility, financial responsibility, and a healthy team 
•  How to identify when a passion project is quietly draining energy from the core business 
•  Why focus, subtraction, and honest reflection create more room for meaningful work 

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

Management doesn’t have to mean more layers, more meetings, and more people directing the work. In this re-released conversation, Jack Skeels author of Unmanaged: Master the Magic of Creating Empowered and Happy Organizations and founder of Agency Agile, shares how agency leaders can create more productive, empowered teams by rethinking what managers are actually there to do.

Inside this episode:

•  Why adding management layers can quietly reduce productivity and create agency chaos 
•  The “promotion trap” of turning top specialists into managers without preparing them for a different role 
•  How managers can shift from directing work to removing barriers for the people doing it 
•  Better ways to understand productivity, quality, and team effectiveness beyond timesheets and status reports 
•  Why managers should be treated as an option—not an automatic answer to every growing-team challenge

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

Some of the best stories on An Agency Story come after the business conversation is over. This compilation of stories shared on past episodes brings together funny, unexpected, and occasionally uncomfortable moments that reveal the lighter side of agency ownership.

Inside this episode:

•  Client feedback that defies explanation 
•  Office traditions that take on lives of their own 
•  Awkward encounters with major brands 
•  The risks of product testing and keyword research 
•  A blindfolded chair race that nearly attracted the police

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027. 

This first edition of Wisdom From the Archives revisits standout ideas and lessons from past conversations with agency owners and experts. Russel adds his perspective to each clip, highlighting practical concepts worth bringing back into how you lead, position, and operate your agency. 

A few highlights from this episode:

• Push people with purpose: Good leadership isn’t always about being liked; sometimes people need to be challenged to get beyond what’s holding them back. 
• Listen for the wish: Look beyond what clients say they need to uncover what they actually want to accomplish and what’s standing in their way. 
• Recognize the IP hiding in your agency: Your methodologies, processes, systems, brand, and other repeatable assets may be more valuable than you realize. 
• Forecast forward, not just backward: Regular reforecasting helps you anticipate what’s coming and make proactive decisions rather than waiting for problems to show up in your financials. 
• Rethink what good management means: A manager’s job isn’t simply directing people; it’s creating the conditions that allow their team to do their best work. 

Learn about an opportunity to build resiliency and success for your business in 2027.