Built and Sold a Creative Agency
Background
Working at SpireMedia during the Internet boom was an exciting time filled with innovation and camaraderie. However, the market began to slow down in the summer of 2001, and following the September 11th attacks, I was laid off as part of a reduction in force in November 2001.
Despite this setback, I leveraged my strong network to quickly secure freelance design projects, spanning from brand work to catalogs and websites. By the end of the year, many in my circle were also unemployed, leading to a wave of new business ventures. Seeing this as an opportunity, I registered the domain MotiveDI.com on December 27th, 2001, with the ambition of building something bigger than myself.
Early Days
In early 2002, Matt and I made our first pitch together for Evolution Hosting in Boulder, successfully landing a combined identity and website deal.
Attracting new clients was challenging, as we were still building our portfolio and relying heavily on personal networks. Differentiating ourselves from numerous other web shops was crucial, as was managing our cash flow. We aimed to scale but remained prudent by leveraging a network of freelancers and often collaborating with other agency partners.
Balancing business and creativity proved effective, with clients appreciating our work. Early clients included Bang Salon, BVZ Architects, Complete Medical Staffing, Howard Dean Presidential Campaign, Hutter Wholesale, TriMountain Real Estate, and Ricochet. In 2003, we hired Carrie, our first full-time employee, and moved to our downtown office across from Union Station.
Motive’s First Downtown Office, 2003
Growth
Motive was built on bold creativity and innovative solutions, focusing on creating impactful experiences across consumer touchpoints. We bridged the gap between traditional and digital communications, delivering unconventional ideas that produced measurable results.
Maintaining a strong company culture was crucial, especially as we grew and took on more projects. We fostered an inclusive and collaborative environment, building strong bonds through transparent communication and recognizing individual contributions.
Scaling while maintaining quality and managing costs was challenging. We targeted niche markets and invested in scalable processes, continuing to hire freelancers for specialized tasks to manage the workload. This strategy allowed us to grow into an award-winning agency servicing Fortune 500 brands.
Highlights
2004 Dean Presidential Website: From site strategy to design and development, we powered Dean's first official campaign website, revolutionizing the political use of the Internet. Read Case Study
"Axis Club" by General Motors: A grassroots branded social community that activated over 125,000 members in its first year, showcasing a non-traditional approach to youth lifestyle marketing.
“The Dew Report" for Mountain Dew: A branded entertainment series that brought Mountain Dew's "Dew Something Different" mantra to life by spotlighting new and emerging sports.
Qdoba’s "Who Do You Love" Campaign: This all-digital promotion achieved impressive results, with the microsite receiving an average of 1.5 nominations per minute over the first six hours. Read Case Study
2005 Website
My Role
As a Founder, Agency Owner, and hands-on leader at Motive, I oversaw day-to-day operations and leading strategic, financial, and creative planning. Managing a team of creatives, account executives, and technologists, I directed marketing strategies, client expectations, goals, budgets, schedules, and project scopes.
Results
Delivered unconventional marketing ideas that produced measurable results
Guided 10 internal team members from strategy through implementation
Built processes from scratch
Mentored the team and cultivated our culture
Facilitated 50+ client discovery workshops and hundreds of creative reviews
Managed cross-functional freelance teams
Launched 50+ integrated sites and campaigns in 6 years
Grew agency revenue by over 60% year-over-year for 3 consecutive years
Successfully sold the agency after 6 years