Hi and welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time.
Today, we’re talking to Marissa Shapiro from Martha. Her firm claims to develop brands from the inside out and does amazing branding work for its clients. We talk about her path to ownership, which included work on both the agency and brand side of the business.
She started as a writer and has most recently been writing a fiction novel. So exciting!
Marissa has some great thoughts about continuing our work to close the advertising agency ownership gender gap and supporting one another along the way. And get out your notebooks … she shares some great resources for you as well.
Communities & Resources
Books
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Marissa emphasizes the transformative impact of working with a coach, not just for business development but also for personal growth and realizing long-held dreams like writing a novel. A good coach can help you refine your daily operations, gain clarity on what truly brings joy, and achieve breakthroughs in your professional and personal life.
Initially, saying "yes" to every opportunity helped Marissa get her agency, Martha, off the ground. However, she learned that being selective and saying "no" to projects that aren't a good fit allowed her to focus on what she truly excelled at (branding) and become a better partner to her ideal clients. This refinement led to Martha 2.0, a more focused and successful version of her agency.
Marissa's definition of success evolved from seeking traditional markers like a corner office and big titles to valuing control over her career, the type of work she does, and her income. More recently, success also heavily includes her personal happiness and joy, acknowledging that these factors are crucial indicators of a fulfilling career and life.
Drawing from her own experiences with agency burnout, Marissa intentionally built Martha on a contractor model. This allows team members the freedom to choose projects and manage their workload, demonstrating that an agency can be successful without adhering to the traditional, often demanding, operational structures of the past.
Marissa highlights the importance of female agency owners supporting each other rather than falling into competitive traps. She stresses that there is ample work for everyone and encourages collaboration, sharing insights, and fostering connections. She also recommends various female-centric professional groups as valuable resources for support and learning.
