The Best Agency Opportunities Don’t Start With an RFP
Stop Waiting for RFPs. You’re Already Too Late. Problem / Context Most agencies treat RFPs as a golden opportunity. They’re not. They’re a lagging indicator. By the time an RFP is released, the real work—the thinking, the conversations, the shortlisting—has already happened. The data backs this up. The 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report found that buyers are nearly 70% through their purchasing process before engaging with sellers. So if your strategy is to wait for the RFP, you’re stepping in after the decisions are already set. The Signal Mergers and acquisitions. Not all of them, but the right ones. When two companies merge, expand into a new market, or combine under one brand, something breaks. The story no longer fits. That’s when marketing becomes urgent. This is especially relevant for: Brand and creative agencies PR and communications firms Digital and web agencies Demand generation and media teams Strategy and positioning consultancies You’ll see the signal show up in: Press releases about “strategic combinations” Leadership interviews explaining the future vision Early messaging changes on the website New marketing or brand roles opening up Across executive conversations, this is often where the real work starts—long before any formal search begins. Why It Matters M&A creates moments where companies are forced to rethink how they show up. A bank merger leads to a rebrand.A SaaS acquisition creates a new product story.A private equity roll-up demands faster growth. These aren’t small tweaks. They’re identity changes. And identity changes create work across brand, messaging, digital experience, and demand generation. But that work doesn’t start with an RFP. It starts with internal alignment and early external conversations with people who understand what they’re going through. The Mistake Most Teams Make They ignore this signal entirely. They wait for the RFP. Or they treat all M&A the same, without understanding which ones actually create marketing need. A small acqui-hire? Probably nothing.A distressed acquisition? Likely cost-cutting, not spending.An internal restructuring? No urgency. But a rebrand-driven merger, a market expansion, or a private equity roll-up? That’s where real opportunity exists. Most teams don’t make that distinction. So they either miss the moment—or show up too late, when the direction is already set. The Smarter Move Use M&A as a filter, not a trigger. Focus on the types of deals that change: The brand The market The growth expectations Then step back and ask: What just became unclear for this company?What are they now trying to explain to the market?Where will they struggle to align internally? That’s where you can add value. AI can help you spot these moments faster. But it can’t tell you which ones actually matter. That’s judgment. How to Use This When you see the right type of M&A, don’t treat it like a lead. Treat it like context. This is a company entering a period of change. Your role isn’t to jump into a process. It’s to show up early with perspective. That might look like: Sharing a point of view on how similar companies handled a rebrand Offering insight into common messaging mistakes post-acquisition Engaging with how leadership is talking about the transition The goal isn’t to win an RFP. It’s to be one of the few firms they already trust when that RFP gets written (or impress them so much they bypass the RFP process altogether).
Jeff Cato’s Practical Blueprint for Leading a Modern Brand
Executive: Jeff CatoCompany: JascoIndustry: Consumer electronics and connected homeCompany Snapshot: Jasco sells lighting, automation, and home technology products through retail and e-commerce channels.Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Jeff Cato’s path to CMO was not straight. He moved through sales, operations, e-commerce, and digital, picking up a wider view of how a business actually works. That is what makes his story worth studying. He does not talk about marketing like a department. He talks about it like a living part of the company. That is also why agencies should pay attention. Cato’s view of partnership is practical, clear-eyed, and rooted in how people solve problems together. He is not looking for noise. He is looking for understanding. Their Path, in Short Cato started in sales, and that foundation still shows. He learned early that business moves through people. You have to understand what matters to them, what problem they are trying to solve, and how to meet them where they are. The tools have changed, but that basic truth has not. As his career grew, so did the scope of his work. He moved from sales into roles that mixed sales, marketing, and operations. At Jasco, his work expanded further into e-commerce and digital marketing. That broader exposure helped him see the full customer journey more clearly. It also helped him understand himself. Over time, he became more aware of where he was strongest and what kind of work energized him most. One major turning point came when he stepped into a COO role at a telecom company. It stretched him hard. He was dealing with IT, finance, operations, and large partner agreements that could affect the business in major ways. He described feeling like a fish out of water. But that discomfort became useful. It forced him to learn faster, rely on experts around him, and accept that leadership is not about having every answer yourself. Another important chapter came when he helped build a new cloud backup division. It had the feel of a startup inside a larger business. That meant building from scratch, moving quickly, testing ideas, and staying flexible when things did not go as planned. It taught him to be hands-on. It also taught him patience. Growth may sound exciting from the outside, but on the inside it usually looks like trial, error, and steady adjustment. Through all of it, his path seems to have sharpened rather than narrowed him. Each stop added another layer. Sales taught him connection. Operations taught him discipline. Digital taught him speed. Leadership taught him that the best work is never done alone. Big Themes From the Conversation One big theme is curiosity. Cato’s career was not built by staying inside one lane. He kept stepping into new territory, learning new parts of the business, and getting more comfortable with complexity. That kind of curiosity does not just build experience. It builds range. Another theme is humility. He speaks openly about moments when he felt stretched or unsure. That matters, because it shows how he leads. He does not pretend expertise where he does not have it. He leans on smart people. He listens. He learns. That is not weakness. That is maturity. There is also a strong bias toward action in the way he talks. Especially in the more entrepreneurial chapter of his career, the rhythm was clear: try, learn, adjust, repeat. No drama. No over-polishing. Just motion. You can hear how much that shaped his mindset. And then there is structure. He values clarity. He values alignment. He wants teams speaking the same language and working from the same goals. Even in the way he talks about his own routine, you get the sense that discipline helps him stay grounded and lead with a clearer head. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked him how he chooses agency partners, he answered like someone who has seen both the good version and the bad one. He is very clear that agencies can play an important role. At Jasco, he pointed to areas like paid social and PR as places where outside expertise can be especially useful. That is partly about specialization, and partly about bandwidth. Internal teams can only carry so much. A strong partner can add skills, speed, and flexibility. But he is not interested in agencies that just execute and disappear. What he values most is proactiveness. He wants a partner who works within the goals they agreed on, watches what is happening, and brings ideas forward without being asked. If something is off, he wants them to say it. If something can be better, he wants them to come with a recommendation. To him, that is what makes a partner feel like a partner. He also pays close attention to how agencies show up in the first place. A first meeting matters. If an agency jumps straight into a pitch without spending real time trying to understand the business, that is a problem. He wants questions. He wants curiosity. He wants transparency about strengths and limitations. In other words, he wants the beginning of a relationship, not the start of a performance. One story made this especially clear. While exploring a CTV partner, he compared different agency approaches. One asked thoughtful questions and worked to understand the business. Another led with the deck. The difference was easy to spot. So was the signal. For Cato, real credibility starts with listening. He also does not think every agency decision works the same way. In PR, category knowledge stood out to him. Knowing the smart home space mattered. In paid media, a broader full-service capability could make sense. His point was simple: fit depends on the problem. He sees AI through that same practical lens. Big claims do not impress him on their own. What matters is whether a partner can connect the technology to the actual business challenge. If they can explain
How Agencies Should Use Conferences for Business Development
Marketing conferences have long competed on scale: bigger expo halls, bigger stages, and bigger attendance numbers. But according to Christian Muche, founder of POSSIBLE and co-founder of DMEXCO, that model is changing quickly. In a conversation with NextBigWin, Muche shared how he believes agencies should approach conferences as a business development channel, and why the most valuable resource events compete for today isn’t budget, but time. “The most valuable thing is asking for people’s time, not their budget,” Muche says. As companies become more selective about how they spend both time and money, conferences are increasingly expected to deliver something far more tangible than exposure or networking — they must help drive real business outcomes. From Trade Shows to Curated Experiences Marketing conferences didn’t always look the way they do today. In the early days of the digital marketing industry, events were largely large-scale trade shows built around exhibitor floors and massive attendance. Companies built booths, scanned badges, and hoped to capture leads from thousands of attendees walking the expo floor. Muche experienced that model firsthand while building DMEXCO. “When we launched DMEXCO, it was designed as a trade show… a mass event, 60,000 people at the peak time,” he says. But attendees’ expectations have changed significantly. Executives today expect events to deliver more curated experiences, targeted conversations, and a better return on the time they invest in attending them. “Today the expectations are far higher,” Muche says. Instead of simply gathering thousands of people in a convention center, modern events increasingly focus on smaller sessions, curated meetings, and more structured opportunities for interaction. The Three Jobs Conferences Serve Today For agencies and brands, conferences now serve three distinct purposes. First, they provide content and inspiration through speakers, panels, and industry insights. Second, they create opportunities for networking and relationship building. And third, increasingly, they generate business opportunities. “Content and inspiration… networking… and the third part is business opportunities,” Muche says. That third category is becoming more important as companies scrutinize the return on their event investments. As companies become more selective about where they spend their time and budgets, events are increasingly expected to generate tangible outcomes, from partnerships and collaborations to new business opportunities. Designing Conferences Around Business Opportunities That shift toward business outcomes influenced how Muche designed POSSIBLE. Launched in Miami in 2023, the conference was designed to combine inspiration, networking, and structured business interactions in one environment. Rather than simply hosting keynote sessions, Muche wanted POSSIBLE to actively facilitate business connections between brands, agencies, and technology partners. One of the ways the event does that is through curated meeting programs designed to connect agencies, vendors, and brand marketers. “We organize up to 3,000 meetings in this space on the beach over three days,” Muche says. These types of structured meetings are becoming increasingly common across the events industry as organizers try to deliver measurable value to attendees rather than simply providing networking opportunities. For agencies, that shift turns conferences from marketing moments into potential business development engines. Why Showing Up Isn’t Enough Despite the growing focus on outcomes, many companies still approach conferences the wrong way. One of the most common mistakes Muche sees is companies showing up without a clear strategy for how they’ll use the event. “You cannot just show up and say I’m looking forward to letting people stop by,” he says. Instead, the companies that generate the most value from conferences treat them like structured business development opportunities. “As soon as the door opens, you have to set up your meetings,” Muche says. That preparation often begins weeks or months before the event. Successful companies schedule meetings in advance, plan client gatherings, and coordinate internal teams so they can capture insights from sessions while others focus on networking or meetings. For agencies, that preparation can be the difference between leaving an event with a few new business conversations or leaving with nothing more than a stack of business cards. Why Agencies Need to Be Where Their Clients Are For agencies specifically, conferences often serve to strengthen relationships with existing clients while also meeting potential new clients. Muche points out that events like POSSIBLE attract a significant number of brand-side marketing leaders. “Agencies have to follow where the clients are,” he says. With roughly a third of attendees representing brand marketers, conferences can offer agencies direct access to the people responsible for major marketing decisions. That proximity can make events one of the most efficient ways for agencies to stay connected to their clients while also building new relationships. What Smaller Agencies Should Do Not every agency has the budget to sponsor an event or create large activations. But that doesn’t mean smaller firms can’t benefit from attending conferences. “At least show up and bring your team,” Muche says. However, simply attending is often not sufficient. “It’s not enough to come with five people and wait to run into people in the hallway,” he says. Instead, smaller agencies should focus on scheduling meetings in advance, attending targeted sessions aligned with their expertise, and taking advantage of structured networking opportunities offered by event organizers. Even without large sponsorship budgets, conferences can still provide opportunities to build meaningful relationships. The Future of Conferences: Quality Over Scale Looking ahead, Muche believes conferences will continue evolving toward more curated, higher-value experiences. The era of massive industry gatherings built purely around scale may be fading. “I don’t believe in pure mass events anymore,” he says. Instead, he believes the future of conferences lies in delivering higher-quality interactions between the right people. “It’s all about quality,” Muche says. That focus on quality over quantity could shape the next generation of industry events. POSSIBLE returns April 27–29, 2026, in Miami Beach and is expected to bring together thousands of senior marketers, agencies, media leaders, and technology companies from across the industry. More information about the event, including registration details, is available at possibleevent.com. A Fast-Changing Landscape If there’s one
Top Marketing Agency Conferences for 2026
This list is for agency owners, agency leaders, business development teams, strategists, and marketers trying to figure out which conferences may be worth a closer look in 2026. It is selective, not exhaustive. We reviewed over 300 conferences and narrowed them down to the top ones. The goal is to make it easy to quickly compare options, understand what each event is about, and decide which ones are worth exploring further. January Tastemaker Conference Location: Los Angeles, CADates: January 9-10, 2026Best for: Food creators, brands, and marketing teams in food media Official website What it is: Tastemaker Conference is a niche event for food creators and the businesses that support them. It is positioned as a creator-centered gathering focused on connection, learning, and growth within the food content space. Good fit if you want to: Understand the creator side of food media and brand building Connect with food creators and adjacent marketing partners Explore how content and community drive growth in food-focused niches February IAB Annual Leadership Meeting Location: Palm Springs, CADates: February 1-3, 2026Best for: Digital media and advertising leaders Official website What it is: The IAB Annual Leadership Meeting is a senior-level industry event focused on the future of digital media, advertising, measurement, and commerce. It brings together executives and decision-makers shaping priorities for the year ahead. Good fit if you want to: Track major shifts in digital media and advertising Hear how industry leaders are thinking about measurement and AI Build relationships with senior leaders across the media ecosystem Meet Magento Florida Location: Hollywood, FLDates: February 4-5, 2026Best for: E-commerce marketers, commerce teams, and Adobe Commerce ecosystem partners Official website What it is: Meet Magento Florida is a commerce-focused event built around the Adobe Commerce and Magento ecosystem. It brings together merchants, retailers, technology partners, developers, service providers, and industry leaders around digital commerce topics. Good fit if you want to: Stay close to Adobe Commerce and Magento ecosystem developments Build relationships with merchants, retailers, and commerce partners Explore ecommerce-focused ideas and opportunities relevant to client work The Robots Are Coming Location: New York, NYDates: February 10, 2026Best for: Agency leaders navigating AI change Official website What it is: The Robots Are Coming is an Agency Hackers event focused on how agencies are actually using AI in practice. The official page frames it as a candid, closed-door conversation about agency operations, talent, clients, and the choices agencies need to make in an AI-shaped market. Good fit if you want to: See how other agencies are applying AI in real workflows Think through what AI means for talent, delivery, and clients Join honest peer conversations about agency change 4As Decisions Conference Location: Washington, DCDates: February 11, 2026Best for: Agency leaders and policy-aware decision-makers Official website What it is: 4As Decisions is an agency-focused event from the 4A’s. The Washington, DC edition is positioned around how changing rules, messaging, and influence affect agency leadership and decision-making. Good fit if you want to: Understand policy and messaging issues affecting agencies Discuss strategic leadership questions with industry peers Explore how external change is reshaping agency decision-making Biz Dev Camp New Orleans Location: New Orleans, LADates: February 23-24, 2026Best for: Agency business development leaders Official website What it is: Biz Dev Camp is a Bureau event centered on business development for agency leaders and growth-minded teams. It is positioned as a practical gathering for navigating client relationships, growth challenges, and new business strategy. Good fit if you want to: Improve your agency’s business development approach Talk through growth and client relationship challenges with peers Get a practical perspective on building a stronger pipeline March Seven Figure Agency Summit Location: Miami, FL; hybridDates: March 2026Best for: Agency owners and growth leaders Official website What it is: This is a Seven Figure Agency member event built around in-person networking, training, and collaboration for agency owners. It is a live and virtual intensive. Good fit if you want to: Connect with other agency owners at a similar growth stage Get practical training tied to agency growth and operations Combine in-person networking with a virtual attendance option Industrial Marketing Summit Location: Austin, TXDates: March 3-5, 2026Best for: Industrial marketers and B2B manufacturing teams Official website What it is: Industrial Marketing Summit is a niche conference for marketers working in industrial and manufacturing-related sectors. It is designed around practical learning, workshops, and networking for teams focused on industrial B2B growth. Good fit if you want to: Learn from marketers working in industrial and manufacturing environments Bring back practical ideas for B2B industrial marketing programs Connect with peers facing similar category and buyer challenges IAB NewFronts Location: New York, NY; hybridDates: March 23-26, 2026Best for: Brand marketers, media buyers, and agency professionals Official website What it is: IAB NewFronts is a digital video and content marketplace event focused on partnerships between brands and digital media companies. It is positioned around presentations, media innovation, and relationship-building across the digital content ecosystem. Good fit if you want to: Stay current on digital video and media partnership opportunities Connect with brands, buyers, and digital content companies Follow how the digital media marketplace is evolving Spryng 2026 Location: Austin, TXDates: March 24-25, 2026Best for: Senior B2B SaaS marketers Official website What it is: Spryng is a B2B SaaS marketing event from Wynter built around peer-to-peer learning and connection. The official site describes it as an unconference-style gathering where attendees are matched with peers based on role, company size, interests, and challenges. Good fit if you want to: Learn directly from senior B2B SaaS marketing peers Have more focused peer conversations instead of broad conference networking Compare how similar teams are solving growth and marketing challenges Shoptalk Spring Location: Las Vegas, NVDates: March 24-26, 2026Best for: Retail, brand, and commerce leaders Official website What it is: Shoptalk Spring is a major retail and e-commerce event focused on growth, innovation, and the future of commerce. The 2026 agenda positions
Inside Kimberly Corbett’s Clear-Eyed, Proof-Driven Leadership Lens
Executive: Kimberly CorbettCompany: Underdog FantasyIndustry: Sports gaming and fantasy sportsCompany Snapshot: A sports gaming platform that blends fantasy play, pick’em games, sports betting, and original sports media.Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Kimberly Corbett didn’t take the typical “marketing major to CMO” route. She began in accounting and auditing, then built a marketing career by teaching herself digital skills in the real world. She says sports fans carry fandom as part of their identity—which raises the bar for how brands show up. For agencies, her viewpoint is useful because she’s clear about what earns attention: real understanding of the business, proof you can deliver, and zero fluff. Their Path, in Short Corbett traces her work ethic back to an extremely rural farming and ranching community in Eastern Oregon. She worked from a young age, and it gave her confidence that she could “out hustle almost anybody” and figure things out. She started her career in accounting and auditing. It was a solid path—but she didn’t love it. And she’s candid that when you don’t love something, it’s hard to be great at it. So she quit and became a nanny. While the kids were at school, she volunteered at a nonprofit, discovered a Google grant budget for search ads, and taught herself search engine marketing and SEO. That became her bridge into digital marketing. Through each transition, she kept a quantitative edge. She says she’s always loved finance and economics, and that understanding how marketing investments flow through to a P&L has been a competitive advantage—something she believes has made her more successful in her roles. From there, she moved into mobile games and major franchises, including work tied to Marvel, Game of Thrones, and Mortal Kombat. Those experiences sharpened her view of community: when people care, they become advocates—but they also bring high expectations. She says teams sometimes learn the hard way that not engaging with a customer base is the wrong move. Now she’s in sports gaming. The business model may be familiar—software, an app, transactions—but the fan base is different. Sports, she says, is “always on,” and sports fans are deeply tied to what they love. For her, that makes the job both more intense and more meaningful: you’re not just selling a product. You’re trying to earn a place inside something people already care about. Big Themes From the Conversation Hustle shows up as a core belief. Corbett talks about hard work as the baseline—the thing that lets you walk into a new domain and learn fast. She’s also vocal about permission to pivot. There’s no shame in trying something and deciding it isn’t for you. The real mistake, in her view, is staying stuck and letting that become your identity. Community is another through line. Working on well-known franchises taught her that engagement isn’t optional. She says not engaging can be “really detrimental,” especially when the audience feels ownership. Then there’s the bar she sets. She tells a formative story: when she wanted a promotion, her boss asked what she had done that no one in the industry had done. “Never been done” became a standard she carried into her teams—an expectation that people can do bigger things than they think they can. Her leadership style follows from that. She isn’t a micromanager, expects flawless execution, and asks new team members where they want to be in the future—because sometimes someone’s in the wrong seat on the bus, and the job is to help them move toward the right one. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Corbett what great agency partners get right, she went straight to leverage. The best partners, she says, offer something that would be a high-capital investment for her to build internally—technology, specialized expertise, or a capability that’s hard to recreate. The price has to be good enough that she won’t even consider doing it herself. And the partner has to bring real domain expertise, not a generic pitch dressed up in trendy language. Her make-or-buy framework is practical. First: capital position and cost structure—how much fixed cost versus variable cost does the business want? Second: time—do you need results now, or can you afford a longer build? Third: what must remain proprietary? She’s wary of building something bespoke with a vendor only to see it turned around and handed to a competitor in a way that changes the game. That same clarity shows up in how she evaluates agencies and vendors who want her attention. She says she’s “not on the overly fluffy side of CMOs.” She doesn’t want someone who can’t explain how even great brand work impacts business results. She wants case studies and proof. She wants someone who has looked at her business and can say, plainly: here’s what you’re doing, here’s what we notice, and here’s how we can do something better. Cold outreach can work—but it has to earn the click. She describes the kind that gets through as simple and specific: a known problem, clearly stated, with a clear cost. She points to AI-focused vendors as an example—teams that understand the cost structure of creative services, explain what they solved, and put the trade-off on the table without making her dig for it. No grand speeches. Just a novel solution and the math. She also follows great work in the world. If she sees a strong campaign, she wants to know who did it. That’s credibility she can evaluate quickly, because it doesn’t rely on promises—it relies on evidence. And the way she discovers ideas may surprise agencies who believe the path runs through trade press and awards. Corbett says her media consumption mirrors the target demographic she’s marketing to. She’s more interested in native content consumption than in what someone wants her to think the trend is. She follows creators in the space, pays attention to what her husband consumes, and relies on her own competitor intelligence—monitoring where
The Hidden Business Development Signal Behind a Creative Agency Win
Problem / Context Most agency business development teams are stretched thin. Sometimes it’s a team of one. Sometimes it’s the founder juggling growth while running the business. That makes time the most precious resource. And it’s why many agencies fall into the same trap: chasing too many companies at the wrong moments. Inbound helps, but it’s rarely enough. Sustainable new business requires proactive outreach. The challenge is knowing where to focus. This is where signals matter. For many agencies—media, digital, production, PR, and social—one signal in particular is worth watching closely. When a brand hires a new creative agency. The Signal You see it in the trades all the time. “Brand X appoints new creative agency.” Sometimes it’s a full creative agency of record. Other times it’s a brand refresh, a repositioning effort, or a new campaign platform. At first glance, that news might not feel relevant unless you’re a creative shop. But often, it is. Creative work rarely lives on its own. Once a brand platform is developed, it usually triggers a series of downstream needs: campaign rollout, content production, media activation, website updates, and launch communications. In other words, creative often sets the stage for everything that follows. Why It Matters When brands invest in new creative, they are usually doing one of three things: Launching a new brand directionEntering a new growth phaseResponding to new marketing leadership All three create movement inside the marketing ecosystem. New creative platforms need assets. Campaigns need distribution. Launches need amplification. That’s when media partners, production studios, digital agencies, and PR firms often come into the picture. The creative announcement is rarely the end of the story. It’s often the beginning. The Mistake Most Teams Make Most agencies treat this type of news as a trigger to pitch. They see the announcement and immediately send a generic “we saw the news” email. That approach rarely works. The brand is busy onboarding its new creative partner. The marketing team is focused on strategy, planning, and internal alignment. Cold outreach in that moment usually lands flat. The signal is real. The reaction is wrong. The Smarter Move Treat the announcement as a context signal, not a sales signal. It tells you the brand is investing in marketing. It suggests campaigns and activations may be coming. It hints that other partners may eventually be needed. That insight should guide how you show up. Not with a pitch, but with perspective. Research the brand’s direction. Understand what the creative platform is trying to achieve. Share thoughtful commentary, relevant case studies, or insights about how companies activate new brand platforms successfully. Signals guide your behavior. They shouldn’t rush it. How to Use This When you see a creative agency appointment, slow down and look closer. What exactly was awarded?Is there a new CMO involved?What partners already exist?What work will likely follow the creative strategy? Those answers tell you whether the signal is meaningful. Sometimes it won’t be. But when the conditions are right, it’s a strong indicator that a brand’s marketing ecosystem is evolving. And the agencies that win those relationships usually aren’t the ones who pounced first. They’re the ones who showed up early, stayed thoughtful, and remained useful as the story unfolded.
How Edithann Ramey Learned to Lead Through Outcomes
Executive: Edithann Ramey, Chief Marketing OfficerCompany: Ruby TuesdayIndustry: Casual dining restaurantsCompany Snapshot: A legacy casual-dining brand focused on earning “reconsideration” and reconnecting with guests through what people already love about itFormat: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Edithann Ramey planned to be a lawyer, not a marketer. But her career pulled her toward a harder question: how do you communicate in a way that makes people act? She has led businesses where success is simple to judge—you drive traffic, or you don’t. For agencies, her perspective is useful because she has lived the agency side and the client side, and she is clear about what partnership really means. Their Path, in Short Edithann grew up in San Juan, then went to school in Michigan and Boston. She studied political science and wanted to become a First Amendment lawyer. Then her aunt, who worked in public relations, opened her eyes to a different kind of influence. Edithann was drawn to PR work, especially crisis. She switched paths, earned a graduate degree in communications in Boston with a focus on crisis, and started at an agency. Her clients were marketers. That taught her that PR is only one piece of a bigger marketing strategy. Edithann realized she wanted to be responsible for outcomes—“big results,” whether that meant sales, traffic, or profit. So she pivoted into local restaurant marketing at Pizza Hut, and she says she fell in love with the business. When I asked what chapter shaped how she leads today, she pointed to her experiences at Chili’s: a more senior role, a team to lead, and pressure to deliver efficiently while still being creative. She learned what kind of leader she wanted to be and how to deliver results. Big Themes From the Conversation Edithann keeps returning to how the metric changes the job. Messaging has one type of result. Traffic has another. She said you can be “very efficient at communicating,” but if you do not drive people in, you are not successful. Moving into growth roles meant “unlearning what success looks like” and rebuilding her work around outcomes. She also described leadership as adaptation. She listens to what people need in order to succeed, then adjusts her style to match. She summed it up simply: “being the boss that they want me to be versus the boss that I wish I had.” And she has a sharp view of focus. She told a story about a boss giving her a tough review: her execution was flawless, but the goals were missed. The lesson was direct—activity is not the same as the right result. A mentor gave her the phrase she still uses: stick to the “big rocks.” Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners Edithann’s agency perspective starts with experience. She began her career in an agency, and she says that shaped her appreciation for what agencies do. Today, she describes her corporate team as “small and mighty,” and she relies on outside partners to help bring the work to life. In her words, any agency that works with her is part of the team. When I asked what makes a great agency-client relationship, she started with availability. Because the brands she works on operate “24 seven,” she values partners who can help when the business demands it. She has worked with agencies that are nine-to-five, and she respects that, but she appreciates agencies that can engage outside normal hours when urgent changes hit. Next is nimbleness. She has seen agency systems so complicated that changing media requires “10 steps” and too much lead time. For her, that does not work. She needs processes that move quickly and teams that can pivot and brainstorm as messages change. Then she described true partnership in a way that is easy to recognize. The best agencies, she said, get her sales reports and call her before she has even had time to look, asking, “What happened today and how can we help you make it better?” On structure, she said she has historically had more success with specialized agencies than with full-service. She has also seen specialized partners collaborate directly, so work moves forward without the client having to referee every detail. If there is one thing she fears most when hiring a new agency, it is transition. She described the “gap of the early days,” when the celebration ends and the real learning begins. Creative partners need more than brand guidelines; they need to learn how the brand thinks. Media transitions can be stressful, too, because switching systems and platforms can create disruption. She appreciates agencies that come with a clear transition process and acknowledge the handoff is not easy. She also offered a grounded take on AI: she prefers a hybrid model. Agencies create the core assets, and AI helps her move faster by refreshing elements like copy, messaging, and offer details. Finally, her advice to agencies trying to break through was blunt: respect the time. “We have very little time,” she said. She pays attention when an agency sends something quick and easy to absorb—a short case study and clear information about what they do—instead of pushing long meeting chains. She also encouraged agencies to show up where marketers already gather, because a real conversation builds trust. What Stood Out What stood out to me was how Edithann pairs warmth with accountability. She talks about leadership as a chance to positively influence people’s lives. And she also holds a firm standard: flawless execution does not matter if the goals are missed. That blend explains what she values—in herself, in her team, and in the agency partners she chooses. Inside Scoop This article focuses on the journey, the leadership philosophy, and how this CMO works with agency partners. To access the exclusive analysis, including priorities, initiatives, and opportunities, become a NextBigWin Pro member.
Why Growing Is Not the Same Thing as Scaling
Ask ten agency leaders about their plans for the year ahead, and nine will tell you they’re focused on “scaling” their business. Press them on what that actually means, and you’ll discover they’re really just talking about adding more clients and hiring more people. That’s not scaling. That’s just getting bigger. The difference matters more than most firm leaders realize. One path leads to perpetual complexity and margin pressure. The other leads to sustainable profitability and genuine enterprise value. Unfortunately, the vast majority of professional service firms are on the wrong path, mistaking expansion for transformation. Here’s the distinction: expansion happens when your revenue grows in direct proportion to your resources. You double your headcount, you double your revenue. That’s addition. Scaling happens when revenue grows faster than costs. You double your revenue while your costs increase by only 50%, or 30%, or not at all. That’s multiplication. The traditional “growth” model has dominated professional services for decades, and it’s rooted in a simple but destructive premise: selling time. When your inventory is hours and your product is labor, growth becomes a numbers game that you can never truly win. Why the Traditional Model Fails Consider a firm generating $10 million in annual revenue with a team of 50 professionals. Leadership sets an ambitious goal: reach $20 million within three years. Under the conventional approach, achieving this target means recruiting another 50 people. Same ratio of revenue to headcount. Same office space needs. Same everything, just more of it. You’ve hit your revenue target, but what have you actually accomplished? Your payroll has doubled. Your real estate footprint has expanded. Your management burden has increased exponentially — because managing 100 people isn’t twice as hard as managing 50, it’s considerably more complex. You’re running twice the business but not necessarily making twice the profit. This is what happens when you build your business model around selling hours. Revenue and costs move in lockstep. The relationship is rigid and unforgiving. Become more efficient, and you earn less money because you have fewer hours to bill. That’s perverse. Your economic model should reward effectiveness, not penalize it. The arrival of artificial intelligence has exposed just how broken this system is. Firms across the professional services spectrum report that AI tools are reducing project delivery time by 20-30%. That’s good news for productivity. It’s terrible news for firms still billing by the hour. The better you get, the less you earn. The math doesn’t work anymore — if it ever did. The Economics of Leverage The firms positioned to win in the next decade are those reimagining their capabilities as repeatable solutions rather than custom services. They’re building intellectual property. They’re creating proprietary frameworks and methodologies. They’re developing platforms and programs that can be deployed across multiple clients without rebuilding them from scratch each time. This isn’t about cookie-cutter work or sacrificing creativity. It’s about recognizing that much of what agencies do involves solving similar problems repeatedly. Smart firms capture that knowledge, systematize the best approaches, and turn expertise into assets that compound in value over time. Take the case of Fig, an award-winning independent agency that turned its revenue model on its head by trading traditional agency services for a productized offering called “StoryData,” a creative intelligence solution that transforms ads into data using AI tools. This unique platform uses a proprietary classification system that enables the agency to quantify essential variables like meaningfulness, brand identify, emotion and differentiation. StoryData then helps diagnose what story to tell, what the topic of the story should be, and how the story should be expressed for maximum effectiveness. StoryData is a repeatable, high-value product offering that enables the agency to scale its revenues without a commensurate increase in labor costs. Building the Foundation for Scaling What separates firms that successfully make this transition from those that remain stuck in the old model? Several key elements consistently appear: Systems over heroics. Scalable firms document how work gets done. They build playbooks, frameworks, and decision-making models that ensure consistency and quality without requiring the founder or senior partner to personally oversee every project. This isn’t bureaucracy for its own sake — it’s the infrastructure that allows good work to happen efficiently and repeatedly. Technology as a multiplier. When AI reduces the time required to complete a project by 30%, a time-based business sees 30% less revenue. A value-based business captures 30% more profit. The difference lies in how technology is integrated into the business model. Progressive firms are building AI capabilities directly into their solutions, using it to enhance quality and speed while maintaining or increasing pricing based on client outcomes. Ownable differentiation. The firms that command premium prices — and achieve the best margins — are those that can point to something unique they’ve developed. A proprietary methodology. A specialized technology platform. A unique approach to solving a particular business problem. These assets create both competitive advantage and genuine scalability because they can be applied broadly without starting from zero each time. Economics that reward excellence. None of this works if you’re still selling hours. A scalable business model requires pricing mechanisms that capture value rather than track costs. Whether through fixed-fee programs, subscription arrangements, performance-based compensation, or licensing intellectual property, the economic model must break the link between time invested and revenue earned. The Choice Ahead The shift from expansion to scalability isn’t a minor adjustment. It requires rethinking what you sell, how you package it, and how clients pay for it. It demands investment in systems and intellectual property development. It means making difficult choices about which opportunities to pursue and which to decline. Most critically, it requires confronting the reality that a labor-intensive business built on selling hours cannot evolve into a scalable enterprise through incremental changes. The foundation itself must be rebuilt. Firms that cling to the traditional model will find themselves trapped in an increasingly untenable position. They’ll work harder to maintain revenue as AI continues
How Tristan Pineiro Leads With Culture, Not Just Metrics
Executive: Tristan Pineiro, Chief Marketing Officer Company: Grindr Industry: LGBTQ+ social app (freemium, ads + subscriptions) Company Snapshot: A global, location-based app serving millions, operating in 190 countries with a lean team of under 200 people; also an advertising platform and a publicly listed company. Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Tristan Pineiro came to marketing through language, culture, and communications—and it shows. As CMO of Grindr, he’s shaping a brand that sits at the intersection of community and culture. For agencies, his viewpoint is simple: surface-level gestures don’t work here. Understanding and trust do. Their Path, in Short Tristan grew up on Menorca, a small Spanish island in the Mediterranean, and lived there with his family until he was 14. His father was a self-made man, a chef, and ran a restaurant. Tristan describes a clear expectation: stay and follow that path. But he didn’t. He says he rebelled against that future. Because his mom is English, he was able to move to the UK and live with family there. At university, he studied linguistics with languages and also studied French drama. He calls it “artsy,” but it trained him to pay attention to how words carry meaning and identity. That led him into communications and then into marketing. He says it’s rare for “comms people to make it to CMO,” and he’s glad the industry is moving toward what he’s believed for a long time: story, engagement, and entertainment belong closer to the center of modern marketing. Outside class, he stayed close to the world he cared about. He talks about promoting underground queer clubs in Manchester while he was at university. It gave him a front-row seat to how communities form. He also tells a story that became a personal lesson in brand. As a teenager, he worked in a fashion store that wasn’t doing well. The store closed for a refurbishment, then reopened with a new look and a new name. The clothes were the same—only the labels changed. Suddenly, there were lines around the block. For Tristan, it proved that perception can change everything. Big Themes From the Conversation As a kid, Tristan was obsessed with TV ads—he memorized them and repeated them. He was learning what sticks: a clear idea, a feeling, and the right delivery. He keeps returning to emotion. Rational arguments are everywhere. The harder work is making people feel something—and doing it in a way that doesn’t talk down to them. He’s also realistic about attention. He says traditional campaigns “don’t get cut through anymore,” because you have seconds to capture people before they scroll by, flip the channel, or tune out. That’s why he keeps pushing one habit: think about your audience constantly. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Tristan about agencies, he didn’t frame them as “support.” He framed them as relationship work. He says working in an agency makes you a better client. Otherwise, he says, client relationships can start with a suspicion that the agency is trying “to get your money for the least possible amount of work.” But from the agency side, he’s seen the opposite: you want to do the best possible work, deliver, and make work your team is proud of. So his partnership philosophy is built around closeness. He talks about “inviting your agency into your brand” so they can see behind the curtain—who’s who, what the goals are, and how the business actually works. Otherwise, agencies get the final output of a long internal process with none of the context. He even calls that internal process the “sausage factory.” If agencies don’t understand how the sausage got made, their work will miss the mark. He’s also clear about what not to do. Agencies can challenge a brief, and sometimes they should—but he’s seen it go wrong when the challenge comes without understanding the journey that led there. The best agencies, in his view, ask smart questions, learn the context, and push in a way that feels aligned. That alignment matters at Grindr because the brand is tied to a real community. Tristan says the internal team knows the audience and community extremely well, and many team members are part of the community or strong allies. The company is lean—under 200 people—so the team stays hands-on. They work with agencies and freelancers, but the internal team remains close to the story. He points to content published on social and inside the app, including Grindr Presents. He mentions a podcast called “Who’s the Asshole,” which faces an honest reality of platforms: bad behavior exists, and moderation isn’t perfect. He also mentions a travel series that reflects how people use the app while traveling—not only to connect, but also to find information like venues and safety. Then there’s the question agencies always want answered: how do you prove you understand queer culture? Tristan’s answer is blunt: people get it wrong all the time. He’s seen proposals loaded with “yass,” sparkles, and rainbows—signals that may be meant as supportive, but land as shallow. His point is: don’t fake fluency. Queer culture is broad and nuanced, and the audience will tell you when you missed it. Finally, he values perspective. Grindr works with agencies around the world. He mentions a Spanish agency, Neurads, that helps produce the travel series. Different voices, different lenses—those inputs make the work stronger. What Stood Out What stood out most was Tristan’s consistency. Whether he’s talking about childhood ad obsession, a relabeled fashion store, or the realities of attention, he keeps returning to the same filter: be interesting, be honest, and respect the audience. Underneath that is a quiet standard for partners: don’t perform understanding—do the work to earn it. Inside Scoop This article focuses on the journey, the leadership philosophy, and how this CMO works with agency partners. To access the exclusive analysis, including priorities, initiatives, and opportunities, become a Next Big Win Pro member.
How Nick Eubanks Turned Detours Into Marketing Discipline
Executive: Nick Eubanks Company: DigiStore24 Industry: All-in-one online sales platform and affiliate marketplace Company Snapshot: Built for performance-driven entrepreneurs, combining conversion tools, payments, and back-office automation Format: CMO Journeys Interview Why It Matters Nick Eubanks didn’t follow a straight path into marketing. He zigzagged—finance to real estate to a fintech startup to agency life to larger-company leadership. That matters because his view of agency partnerships comes from experience on both sides of the table. He keeps asking one question: what actually moves the work forward? Their Path, in Short Nick thought real estate was his future. He went to school for finance at “St. Joe’s in Philadelphia,” earned a finance degree, and spent college in real estate internships. Then marketing showed up as a left turn. After graduation, he joined a fintech startup in a marketing role. He realized he didn’t like the product, even though he liked the people. So he left and started an agency. From there, he described his career as “venture after venture,” moving through agency work, software, e-commerce, and other builds. One chapter became Baby Bathwater Institute, a community of entrepreneurs he called “my tribe.” It also shaped how he saw himself, which is why his next move hit hard: he took a job. Nick joined SEMrush in an entrepreneurial role and worked with a CMO he described as forward-thinking. He said the job gave him a bigger checkbook and a bigger team, and let him do bigger projects without taking the same personal risk. Still, he admitted it triggered an identity crisis. He had tied “entrepreneur” to owning the thing, and he had to rethink that definition. Big Themes From the Conversation Nick is drawn to learning that challenges him. He shared advice he credits to Mike Brown: don’t just be open-minded—seek out information that forces you to change your mind. He also talked about luck without pretending it cancels effort. He referenced the line “the harder you work, the luckier you get,” and still insisted that luck is real. Work hard, stay prepared, and don’t assume you control every variable. And he’s practical about how he keeps himself moving. Nick talked about running as a way to clear his head and how ideas appear after a few miles. He said he used to forget half of them once he got home. Now he captures them by opening voice notes and ChatGPT and talking straight into it, so the thought becomes something he can actually use. Watch CMO Journeys Interview How They Choose the Right Agency Partners When I asked Nick how he thinks about agencies at DigiStore24, he started with reality. He said it’s common for CMOs to step into a role and bring in agencies they trust, depending on what needs support right away. The goal is speed. You can’t wait for perfect conditions. His best example was about timing. Someone he met at SEMrush later left and started a PR agency. When she saw Nick had taken the DigiStore24 role, she reached out to catch up. Nick’s response was: “Perfect timing.” As he explained it, there wasn’t a PR function in the U.S., and starting one was on his short list. He also described using agencies to move fast on foundational work. One area was marketing analytics. He said he wasn’t happy with the marketing analytics configuration, so he brought in someone he trusted to do a full audit and lay out how to clean it up. He named GA4, GTM, and reporting. The point was confidence. If measurement is shaky, every strategy conversation turns into guesswork. Content is another place he sees agencies earn their keep, but not as “extra hands.” He said the value is bringing in people who know what works and know how to build the content production workflows that are needed. Put workflows in place. Create sample content so the internal team can learn. Leave templates the team can reuse. Then he named a quieter differentiator: access. Nick said agencies with channel-specific expertise often have relationships a brand can’t get by “going in the front door.” He gave a concrete example: he brought in someone to help with a specific social platform to get paid ads up and running, and that expert could introduce him to the senior brand partner manager and help get set up with a line of credit—something he said wouldn’t have happened if he approached the platform cold. Nick also spoke to how the agency world is shifting. He said he’s vacillated between the specialist and full-service views over his career, and he believes specialists may need to go deeper in what they deliver. He talked about advising agencies to build AI workflows not just for themselves, but for clients, and he highlighted platform partnerships—saying he was a HubSpot partner at his last agency and expects that model to matter even more in the age of AI. What Stood Out The surprising moment wasn’t tactical. It was personal. Nick openly described the identity crisis he felt after taking a job following years of building his own ventures. That kind of honesty is rare, and it explains a lot about how he operates: he keeps learning, keeps moving, and keeps choosing work that feels like building. Inside Scoop This article focuses on the journey, the leadership philosophy, and how this CMO works with agency partners. To access the exclusive analysis, including priorities, initiatives, and opportunities, become a NextBigWin Pro member.