Ten years is by far the longest I’ve ever stayed at a single job. Luckily, it’s the job I started from a half-baked idea and a complete underestimation of what building an agency actually entailed. There’s no clear path in entrepreneurship, especially in marketing, where everything seems to change by the hour these days.
In May of 2015, I took the leap from freelancing from my home office to hiring an intern. It was a low-commitment way to dip my toes into having an employee, but it also brought a kind of 9-5 structure I had fought long and hard to escape. I was torn, but I was also slammed with work. The options were either to lean into growth or turn down opportunities, so I chose to lean in. On her first day, Danielle showed up—mid-senior year at Pensacola State College—with a blind trust, walking into my home’s front door with her lunch in hand. Maybe it was a little sketchy, but I’m so grateful she believed in me and took that leap.
When I made that move, the goal was simple: bring on a team member or two to handle overflow and maybe turn it into a full-time support role. But within the first few years, those dreams expanded—as did the team, the client list, and the business itself.
The idea of a ‘real office’ started to creep in. One that would surround us with community and others who had been where we were headed. So, we moved into Co:Lab, Pensacola’s business incubator, and it felt like a waterfall of information. An intense crash course in Business 101. Through these daily on-the-job lessons, I began to realize that Pensacola was a totally different beast than my previous world of Dallas big-city agency life. Here, it’s much easier to stand out, have a voice, drive change, and become a leader in a creative and business community where many influential people are just a degree or two removed. There’s serious talent here, but it wasn’t yet oversaturated.
Although most of our work was from out of town—fantastic clients who followed me from my freelance days into the newly-formed agency—our visibility in Pensacola grew. We became competitive for, and won, several impactful projects. We branded a local brewery staple, Perfect Plain. We also secured the RFP for Co:Lab’s full branding, which pushed us to fully develop our positioning, messaging, and visual system—taking us beyond just design and into strategy. We moved several one-off clients into retainer arrangements, securing steady revenue along the way.
I’ve learned a lot about people and the business of people over the years.
With team members, I’d say I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting talent. Hiring has become easier—a mix of the right skills and the right culture fit. Finding that balance has taken time, but I feel like it’s a skill I’ve sharpened, thanks in part to former bosses who gave me the freedom to build teams my way. And part of it is just me figuring things out as I go.
With client partners, we’ve found our sweet spot. We build long-term relationships with teams that need a go-to partner for high-impact projects or ongoing support across a variety of skill sets. These clients aren’t just looking for a service provider—they’re looking for an extension of their team.
This formula didn’t happen overnight. It started around year four, when the team we have today began falling into place. So, here are “Things I’ve learned from my team.”
- Liz joining the team was an early sign to ‘trust your gut, follow the signs.’ She didn’t just apply for the job—she literally took it. Long story short, she was offered a test project to assess her skills, and she eagerly responded, ‘I accept the job!’ I probably should have learned something about communication that day, but she was so enthusiastic that my gut told me to run with it. She started two weeks later. Six years in, I’m so glad she did. It was also my first lesson in ‘let it go—others can do the work just as well, if not better.’ I fully trusted someone else with design.
- Logan taught me to let people lead and embrace change. He joined us as our very first project manager, and honestly, I have no idea how I managed before him. He came from a marketing role—a bit of a step back—and after a little over a year, during a 1:1, he expressed interest in building our marketing department. He was so good at project management, and shifting into a full-service agency felt like the next big step—kind of terrifying, but we went for it. We’ve never looked back. In this role, he’s constantly learning and evolving us into the next thing. It’s exactly where he’s meant to be.
- Enter Tori. She taught me to focus on people’s strengths, and the rest will fall into place. Tori and Logan couldn’t be more different in personality, but they’ve both owned the project management role with a perfect mix of professionalism and their own unique way of systematizing and managing clients that just works. We had several other highly qualified candidates when hiring for this position, but something clicked during her team interview. Since then, her eagerness to jump right into the chaos, always be there to solve a problem, and lift the team up along the way has been truly unmatched. She’s such a natural helper and cheerleader, and that’s a huge win for both our clients and our team.
- Joe was when I knew we’d really made it in the eyes of our peers. HatchMark had arrived as an agency, and creatives I looked up to were willing to move back into town to work with us. He came on to fill the role Dago was leaving—another incredibly talented illustrator and designer. Joe spent his early career at brands and agencies I admired, and when we opened the position and his resume landed in my inbox, I instinctively said out loud, ‘Joe wants to work here.’ He packed up his life in Nashville and made the trip south. Truly multi-talented, he’s brought so much to the team and keeps pushing his own skills while helping us expand our capabilities.
- John was a great lesson in ‘trust the team.’ When building our creative team, we initially needed someone in a production role. I was pretty set on another candidate, but then John’s portfolio landed in our inbox. Fresh out of school, with a portfolio that showed a sharp eye and a real passion for brand—he was so talented. Still, I was torn between two equally qualified candidates. During the team interview, everyone rallied around John, and I decided to follow their lead. He ended up fitting perfectly into our creative team, completing the trio with skills that complemented each other beautifully.
- Ramsey has taught me that there are many ways to do things well. Before him, Carly had joined to build our social team—she was a superstar. A couple of years later, she moved back into design and jumped to her next opportunity. We had big shoes to fill, and honestly, I was terrified. Ramsey approached me about the opening and convinced me over coffee. I’d known Ramsey for years—he’s the unofficial Mayor of Pensacola, a social butterfly, and a friend who was already managing social for a handful of clients on his own. But he’d never done it at this scale—leading a team, with processes. When he joined the team, it was the same job, but two very different personalities taking the reins. And he thrived. He took on initiatives like the podcast and managed clients with a level of enthusiasm and care that only he can bring. And he brought us Savannah.
- Savannah taught me to trust drive and a willingness to learn over time on the job. She started as an intern, handling social engagement a few hours a week. She quickly stepped up and took on more responsibility, growing into our much-cooler—and notably younger—trend-following 20-something. She not only brought fresh ideas to the team but also took the initiative to make them happen. She’s grown so much and is now managing her own intern. I have no doubt she’s going to do really big things one day, and we’ll keep her as long as she’ll have us.
- Finally, Somi has taught me to trust the timing. I met Somi nearly a decade ago—she was fresh out of school, and I was new to Pensacola. Someone I really admired at another local agency, we looked for ways to collaborate on murals and personal creative projects. I often thought of her when a position opened up, but she was happily working elsewhere or pursuing freelance gigs, not interested in re-entering agency life. Early this year, her schedule freed up for freelance work, and we needed part-time help. After two months, we mutually decided to go all in, and she became part of the team we have today.
Because of this team, over these ten years, our identity has evolved a lot. We went from a design-focused studio to a strategic branding agency, and now to full-service partners working hand-in-hand with our clients. We’ve worked on projects ranging from municipalities and healthcare to hospitality, food and beverage, and even national brands. We’ve seen our work showcase on Shark Tank, in Target, and in Times Square. Each phase has pushed us with new perspectives, exciting experiences, and—most importantly—long-lasting relationships. This isn’t a business you can grow with just one-off projects or by constantly chasing what’s next. It’s built on the people who grow with you, from one engagement to the next. So, here are “Things I’ve learned from our clients.”
- Do the work, do it exceptionally well, and always follow through on what you promise. This approach beats any traditional advertising every time. Give people a stellar experience, and they’ll become clients for life—and they’ll send a friend too. I’ve built this agency on relationships, and that’s absolutely been the secret to our stability and growth.
- Be flexible. There’s a lot of buzz in our industry about “our proprietary process” and a fixed path from A to Z. But sometimes, that approach doesn’t fit everyone. Stay true to what you know works, but it’s perfectly okay to make adjustments to suit a client’s needs, their team’s processes, and their timelines when it makes sense.
- A ‘not now’ isn’t a ‘not ever.’ Take the call. Help the entrepreneur who’s just about to launch their new product. Don’t gatekeep—answer their questions. If it’s not the right fit right now, refer them to a freelancer or specialized agency that might be better suited for their needs at this stage. Even if they aren’t ready to move full speed ahead just yet, when they are, you’d be surprised how many come back around.
- Trust and respect go both ways. Great clients view you as a partner in growing their business, an extension of their team, and an investment in their future—not just an expense. A prospect who sees you as a cost rather than an investment is starting off with the wrong perspective, and that mindset can set both of you up for failure.
- Communication and transparency is key to overcoming just about anything. Things won’t go seamlessly all the time, but if communication is in check and missteps are course-corrected on the way, as opposed to when it’s too late, it’s amazing how much stronger of a relationship that will build as opposed to falling apart.
- Do work you believe in. It’s in everyone’s best interest if you can genuinely get behind what they’re offering and feel excited about building their brand or marketing their service.
- People work with people they like, know, and trust. Get out there, shake hands, and help whenever you can. Do good work, and take the time to ask about how their kid’s game went or what they did over the weekend. Client relationships are so much more than just transactions. When you genuinely enjoy partnering with someone, it makes a world of difference.
Fast forward to 2023—what I’ve shared so far has gotten us pretty far. A permanent physical location had always been part of the plan, and at the end of the year, we took on one of our biggest projects yet: renovating a print shop on the edge of downtown. We wanted more than just an office; it’s a space designed intentionally for collaboration, creativity, and community engagement. It’s not just a place people come to work; it’s a home for the 40 hours a week we spend within these walls.
I fully recognize that this wouldn’t be possible without the clients who have trusted us over the years. To everyone who has brought us to the table for a project, opportunity, or partnership—whether we’ve worked together directly or you simply trusted us enough to be part of the conversation—thank you. This milestone feels big, but I believe we’ve entered a new era where everything is in place to unlock what’s next. I’m not exactly sure what that is, but my gut tells me it’s good. We’re just getting started, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.
— Veronique Zayas | Founder/HatchMark Studio
