How to Grow Your Agency from 2 to 100 People | Emily Heyward, Co-Founder of Red Antler

How do you succeed as a start-up? How do you grow your agency from 20 to 100 people? How can you carve your niche in the market? 

In our last episode of Agency Growth Stories, Emily Heyward, co-founder of Red Antler – the leading creative agency for startups and new ventures, including Hinge, Prose and AllTrails – shares her insights on these questions and more. 

Emily was named among the Most Important Entrepreneurs of the Decade, a Top Female Founder and one of the Most Powerful Women of 2019 by Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.🔥

Here is what we covered in our chat with this creative legend: 

00:00:00 - Intro: Who is Emily Heyward? 

00:01:15 - Rapid Fire Questions

00:03:30 - Red Antler: How It All Started

00:14:25 - Defining Your Clients & Revenue as a Start-Up

00:18:53 - Growing Beyond 2 People: InHouse vs. Freelance

00:21:50 - Bringing In Clients in the Early Days

00:26:30 - Hiring & Establishing and Effective Team Structure 

00:35:34 - Pricing Projects as an Agency 

00:40:15 - What You Need to Change as a Leader to Grow

00:44: 22 - Where is Red Antler now?

00:46:05 - The Future of Small & Mid Agencies 

00:47:15 - Opportunities in the Current Market

00:50:27 - Transparency within the Agency

00:52:15 - What Keeps You Going as a Founder?

00:56:24 - How a Project-Based Business Works: Hiring vs. Freelancing

00:59:03 - Helping Clients Understand the Importance of Brand 

01:04:28 - Marketing and Community as Part of Your Brand Strategy

01:08:08 - AI in the Creative Industry: Uses and Shortcomings 

01:12:00 - Key Things to Define for a Client’s Strategy 

01:14:02 - How Do You Keep Key People Without Giving Equity Away?

01:17:50 - Can You Growth Without Expanding Your Services? 

01:20:10 - Final Thoughts

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