Small But Mighty Agency: How to Grow Your Agency

What does it actually take to market to diverse audiences with depth, respect, and relevance?In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, I sit down with Marissa Nance, founder of Native Tongue Communications, to talk about what too many agencies still get wrong when trying to reach diverse audiences.Marissa shares why broad multicultural marketing often falls short and why she prefers the term micro cultural marketing instead. We explore what it means to understand people beyond surface-level demographics and why empathy, research, and cultural nuance matter more than ever.We also talk about the pressure agencies are facing right now as DEAI becomes more politicized, AI reshapes the marketing landscape, and brands risk losing the human insight that makes their work resonate.In this conversation, we unpack:Why “micro cultural” is a more useful lens than “multicultural”Why culture goes deeper than race, ethnicity, or genderHow empathy leads to stronger marketingWhere AI can support the work and where human judgment still mattersWhat agencies can do to market with more intention and integrityIf you want to create marketing that resonates more deeply and reflects a better understanding of the people you serve, this episode is worth a listen.Show Notes:-Website: nativetonguecommunications.com-Instagram: marissa.nance-LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marissananceHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep149

Is AI quietly making your agency more replaceable?Or is it revealing where your real value actually lives?Right now, content can be generated in seconds. Blog posts. Emails. Website copy. Entire strategies drafted with a prompt.Which raises an uncomfortable question for agency owners:If the machine can produce the words… what are clients really paying us for?In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, we pull back the curtain on what AI actually looks like inside a working content agency serving technical clients.My guest, Victoria Cowan, founder of Wordplay Creative, built her business on thoughtful, human-centered storytelling. When AI hit the marketing world she felt what many writers felt: fear.Not hype. Not instant adoption. Fear.Instead of ignoring it or blindly embracing it she integrated it intentionally.In this conversation, we unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes:Where AI genuinely speeds up workflow and where it creates more workWhy most AI-generated content sounds the sameThe growing importance of editorial discernmentHow tone of voice is becoming a serious competitive advantageWhat agencies need to consider around transparency and IPWhy strategic thought partnership is becoming more valuable than executionAs more agencies use the same tools, sameness becomes the default. If you’re navigating how to use AI without becoming commoditized, this episode will help you think more clearly about where your real leverage lives.Let’s dive in.Show Notes:-Website: https://www.wordplaycreative.ca/-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriajunecowan/Hey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep148Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Your agency is working.But the way you’re making decisions may no longer match where you actually want to go.From the outside, everything looks steady but inside, something feels heavier than it should.That heaviness often shows up when the business keeps operating in a way that made sense in the past, even though your perspective has started to shift. You see your work differently now, and the way the agency runs hasn’t fully caught up.Maybe you’re clearer about the clients who energize you.Clearer about the work that strengthens the business instead of just sustaining it.Clearer about what feels aligned and what quietly drains you.But clarity doesn’t automatically reshape a business.There’s often a stretch where your thinking evolves, but the business is still running on old patterns.Most owners move through this alone, feeling the friction but not yet knowing what to adjust.This episode continues the Small But Mighty series by exploring that in-between space—the gap between insight and intentional redesign. Inside, we explore: Why your agency can feel heavy even when it’s successfulThe hidden gap between knowing what you want and running the business that wayHow old decision patterns keep you operating from an earlier version of your agencyWhat actually shifts when you start choosing work that aligns with the direction you want to growIf your agency looks successful but feels heavier to lead than it once did, this episode will help you understand the source of that heaviness and what’s actually ready to shift.Want More Context?This episode is part of a series exploring what happens when your agency grows but the way you build it needs to evolve.Part 1 (Podcast): Two $1M Agencies. Very Different RealitiesPart 2 (Blog): Why the Agency Growth Model Worked And Why It Doesn’t NowPart 3 (Podcast): Some Agencies Make Growth Feel Easier. Here’s WhyPart 4 (Blog): You Outgrew Your BusinessHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep147Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

There’s a subtle difference you start to notice after enough time in this industry.Some agencies grow with more ease. Decisions get clearer instead of noisier. Momentum builds without everything getting heavier at the same time. Not because they’ve found a shortcut, and not because they’re avoiding the realities of today’s market.They’re operating in the same conditions as everyone else.And yet, growth behaves differently for them.This episode is about understanding why.Not by looking for new tactics or better execution, but by naming the underlying forces that change how growth compounds over time. When you step back, a different picture of growth starts to emerge. Not growth defined by doing more or adding more, but growth that feels more exciting and easier to sustain because it’s grounded in decisions that reinforce each other instead of competing for energy and attention.In this episode, we explore:Why positioning that reduces buyer effort changes how momentum builds long before a sales conversation beginsHow trust, built through a clear point of view, shortens decision cycles and helps people feel confident choosing youWhy fit becomes a compounding force when the work you take on actively makes your agency better over timeHow these forces work together to support growth that feels focused, intentional, and worth carrying forwardThis conversation isn’t about changing how you work or adopting a new model overnight. It’s about understanding what makes growth feel smarter in a market that’s noisier, more uncertain, and more demanding than it used to be.________For those following the Small But Mighty series, this is Part 3. Part 1 [Two $1M Agencies. Very Different Realities] is a podcast episode exploring the lived tension many agency owners are feeling right now. Part 2 [Why the Agency Growth Model Worked – and Why It Doesn’t Now] is a blog post unpacking why the traditional growth model isn’t working anymore.Hey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep146Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

If you’ve ever looked at the version of “success” the agency world keeps promoting and felt a quiet sense of resistance, here’s a question worth sitting with:What if growth isn’t supposed to feel this heavy?Most agency owners aren’t afraid of growth. They’re ambitious. They care deeply about their work. They want their businesses to be profitable, respected, and sustainable.And yet, somewhere along the way, growth starts to feel like more pressure instead of more clarity. More responsibility instead of more freedom. More motion instead of more stability.This episode kicks off Small But Mighty: A Different Way to Grow an Agency — a five-part series exploring why so many capable agency owners feel misaligned with the dominant growth narrative, and what it looks like to build something different.This conversation isn’t about tactics or positioning tricks. It’s about identity. About understanding why many “right” moves start to feel wrong when the underlying growth logic doesn’t actually fit the kind of agency you want to build.In this episode, we unpack:The unspoken assumptions behind most agency growth advice — and how they quietly push agencies toward volume and complexityWhy pricing, boundaries, and decision-making get harder even as revenue growsA concrete contrast between two $1M agencies — and why they feel radically different to runWhat the Small But Mighty agency identity really means in a market shaped by commoditization and noiseIf you’ve ever wondered why growth feels harder than it should — or why success hasn’t delivered the ease you expected — this episode will help you see your business, and yourself, with more clarity.Because there may be nothing wrong with you at all.You may simply be building toward a different kind of success.Sign up for our newsletter: agencytogether.com/aboutHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep145Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

We talk a lot about niching in the agency world.Pick an industry.Go deep.Specialize.But in today’s market, industry alone isn’t enough — and many capable agencies can feel that, even if they can’t quite name why.Execution is easier to buy. Capability is everywhere. And “great work” doesn’t help clients feel confident when the stakes are higher.What cuts through now is being clear about the outcome you’re willing to stand behind.In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency podcast, we move beyond outcome clarity and into the real decision agencies are facing right now: choosing an outcome niche without boxing yourself in.This isn’t about rebranding or narrowing for the sake of narrowing.It’s about removing friction for your clients and for you, and creating focus that actually supports momentum.In this episode, we explore:What outcome niching actually means and what it doesn’tWhy niching by industry alone no longer creates enough tractionThe three guardrails that make outcome niching work without overcommittingHow choosing an outcome can simplify sales, referrals, and deliveryIf you’ve felt like you’re standing at the edge of your next stage and haven’t quite named what comes next, this episode will help you think it through.These are the kinds of conversations we also have inside Agency Together.If you’d like to pressure-test your thinking with other agency owners, you can RSVP for the next Agency Together Strategic Partnership Mixer here:https://agencytogether.com/mixer-eventTune in to rethink what specialization really means — and how choosing the right outcome creates clarity and momentum.Hey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep144Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

What does your agency need to be known for in order to stay relevant as the market keeps shifting?In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency podcast, we explore the strategic shifts quietly shaping how agencies build momentum right now—and what it actually takes to future-proof your agency without chasing every new trend.This isn’t about services, channels, or keeping up appearances. It’s about clarity—specifically, clarity around the outcomes your work creates, and how that clarity changes everything from sales conversations to capability-building.Together, we explore:Why future-proof agencies anchor their growth to outcomes, not services or channelsHow outcome clarity reshapes offers, pricing, and sales conversations without adding complexityWhat capability-building actually looks like when it’s tied to a clear outcome (and why this matters in an AI-heavy world)Why community isn’t just support but a strategic advantage for staying grounded and informedThe difference between “sounding clear” and being clear in a noisy marketThis episode sets the stage for the next conversation, where we’ll go deeper into outcome niching: what it really means, how to do it without boxing yourself in, and what makes it work for you not against you. 🎧 Tune in to rethink what future-proofing your agency actually requires and where clarity becomes your advantage.Show Notes:Join the next Agency Together Mixer: https://agencytogether.com/mixer-eventHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep143Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

How do you know when your agency has outgrown its brand  and what actually happens when you decide to change it after 17 years?Today’s episode gives you a rare behind-the-scenes look at a rebrand most agency owners never get to witness. My guest, Kim Atkinson, co-founder and COO of Foundery, recently led her agency through a full transformation after nearly two decades of being known as “Ontario SEO.”What started as a small, local SEO shop evolved into an international, full-service digital agency… but the brand didn’t evolve with them. And eventually, the name that once helped them grow became the very thing holding them back.In this conversation, Kim opens the door to the real journey. The fears, the hesitation, the naming battles, the internal alignment, and the strategic decisions that helped them pull off a rebrand without losing momentum.Whether your agency has been around for 17 years or you're only a few years in, you’ll walk away with clarity on:how to know your brand no longer reflects your business,what to prepare for before changing anything,how to protect your visibility during the transition, andwhat shifts once your brand finally matches who you are today.It’s an honest, practical sneak-peek into a rebrand done thoughtfully and a meaningful listen if you’re sensing it might be time for your own evolution.Let’s dive in.Show Notes:-Website: Foundery.ca-Kim's LinkedInHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep142Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

There’s a stage in agency growth that looks successful on the outside but feels limiting on the inside. You’re delivering great work, clients are happy, and your reputation is solid… yet you’re still underpriced, overextended, and not seen as the strategic partner you know you are.This silent slowdown has a name: the value gap and most agencies stay in it far longer than they realize.In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, we unpack why this happens and how it ties directly to the three levels of competitive power that agencies move through as they grow. Most agencies unknowingly get stuck in the middle level, where their work is good enough to grow, but their positioning quietly caps their value.In this episode, we explore:Why “good work” is no longer enough to stand outThe 3 levels of agency competitive power and where most firms plateauThe shift from selling deliverables to selling outcomesWhy premium pricing follows transformation, not effortHow specialization becomes strategic leverageWhen you get clear on the big outcome you deliver, everything starts to line up. You can see what conditions need to be in place, who’s actually a right-fit client, and where your best results come from.At that point, growth isn’t about doing more work. It’s about solving a bigger, more meaningful problem that earns higher value.Listen in to explore where your agency sits today and what it takes to move beyond the ceiling.Show Notes:The Hands off CEO book: handsoffceo.com/book Mandi's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mandiellefsonHey thanks for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast/ep141Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Most agency owners leave referrals to chance, but that's about to change! Explore the importance of designing a proactive referral system rather than waiting for luck. Discover how trust is becoming the key to growth in 2026, as passive referrals give way to strategic partnerships. Learn about the roles in a Strategic Partnership Squad that can turn word-of-mouth into a system for repeatable success. From connectors to collaborators, these roles can create momentum and generate recurring revenue. Time to engineer your referrals!