In January 2025, Sydney-based marketing agency Brandshake celebrated its second birthday. Founded by Emily Cooke, what began as a solo freelance journey quickly evolved into a growing agency, expanding from one to a team of three. Two years in business have meant two years of learning, pivoting and figuring out what it really takes to run an agency. The journey has been exciting, challenging rewarding, and—at times—a little chaotic. Reflecting on her experience, Emily shares key insights from a small business owner to others and essential lessons she has learned along the way:
1. Service, communications and quality should never dip, no matter the project size
Emily believes “every client deserves your best – whether they’re a small one-off project or a large retainer. If you under quote a project, most of the time when you’re fresh into business, that’s on you to wear and learn from. Some of our longest-standing client relationships began with small projects that turned into something bigger.”
2. Always set clear deliverables and expectations with clients upfront
She qualifies this “giving your all to every client big and small doesn’t mean sacrificing being commercial. To manage big and small budget clients, be crystal clear about deliverables, timeline and how many resources will be dedicated to a client.” Emily emphasises the importance of defining scope upfront, managing team time and resources vigilantly and ensuring clients know what’s included—and what’s not.
3. ALWAYS own your mistakes and flearnings
According to Emily, mistakes are inevitable, but what matters is how they are handled. “I think people appreciate honesty and solutions far more than excuses. Owning up to errors builds trust and goodwill. I appreciate this as an employer, and I think clients feel the same way. There should be no shame in making mistakes, owning them, fixing them and learning from them”
“Also, clients are savvy professionals – don’t insult their intelligence. Pulling the wool over a client’s eyes about a mistake or a failed campaign is playing the short game – you’re always found out in the end!”
Mistakes lead to growth, too. Emily reflects “I heard Mia Freedman, a businesswoman I really respect and owner of Mamamia say there are “flearnings” in business – failures/learnings, which resonated with me.”
4. Don’t expect employees to do what you haven’t done, won’t do, or don’t know how to do
As a leader, Emily believes business owners must lead by example. “Treat yourself as an employee – keep yourself accountable to your team, clients, deadines, quality of work, hours worked, leave taken and tasks completed. I heard on the Aspect Software podcast – they’re a client of ours – that employees will mirror your energy, enthusiasm, ideas and openness and I feel that to be true. I set that tone. I want it to be one of transparency, trust, learning, trying hard and having fun.”
5. There’s a fine line between micromanaging and being an absent manager
Emily highlights the importance of finding a balance between overseeing work and allowing autonomy. “In a mostly remote environment, we’re at our offices in Martin Place once a week and home the rest, that balance can be tricky. Give people time and opportunity to check in and bounce with you as the leader. If they don’t need it, that’s OK, but the dedicated time and communication need to be there. Your people deserve to feel supported and heard on work and non-work stuff.”
6. Your team CHOOSE to work with you, remember that.
“My team are best-in-class marketers – it would be silly not to think they’ve got options. They choose Brandshake. I believe it takes more than fair remuneration to keep good people and I will do my best to make sure I’m creating a stimulating, empowering environment.”
So Emily elaborates, “We’re trying to create an anti-agency agency. Or an un-agency. In my previous agency jobs, I thought I loved the fast, chaotic pace of working through lunches to make the thrill of deadlines and working late with the team towards a common objective. I did. Turns out, life outside of work is even more exciting. So it’s really important to me (not to mention a legal requirement) that we’re taking our lunch breaks, finishing on time most of the time, and that we have time and space to be creative together.”
“Though fair pay, breaks and hours worked are the bare minimum. I want us all to feel psychologically safe too to talk about non-work stuff and let me know when a team member needs support or time. I think that’s something my generation as leaders are trying to do generally,” Emily concludes.
7. You will need to invest in professional advice
Emily chats about first getting help with some functions of the business, like bookkeeping. “When you get to a ‘level’ where it’s costing more in your personal hourly rate to DIY something, than it would to pay for support – it’s time to get help. Getting assistance with some functions felt really daunting, but being able to work ON the business isn’t a luxury, it’s a need.”
8. Stay close to your numbers. Spoiler: BAS shouldn’t be a surprise
Emily qualifies the above, saying: “Even if you are getting help, know your numbers intimately. Keep your eye on exact outgoings versus revenue month on month. I also recommend setting up a dedicated GST, PAYG, and super account so you’re never hugely surprised by BAS or super. In business, we can never eliminate financial surprises, but this really, really helps.”
9. Letting clients know of pay increases is scary
One of the hardest conversations for any business owner is informing clients about price increases. Emily advises against delaying these discussions, as revenue must keep pace with inflation and rising expenses. Communicating pricing adjustments early is key.
She says, “Your expenses WILL increase. Even if you’re not making any changes – cost of living crisis, business edition. It is terrifying to let long-standing clients know of a pay increase, but it’s a necessary evil. I have put price increases off for too long in the past and regretted not taking the chance when we renewed contracts. Let clients know why you’re increasing prices and be clear that their service level might not increase. Be upfront always. Short-term terror for long-term success!”
10. You are often not the smartest person in the room
One of the things Emily keeps at the forefront is that she doesn’t know everything and never will. “I work with a world-class team and clients, and they often have better ideas than me. I’m always learning from them, always. How cool to be improving and becoming more creatively strong through collaboration.”
11. Client feedback makes the work better (usually)
As a creative, it’s easy to get attached to words, designs, or strategies. However, Emily has learned that client feedback (usually) enhances the final product. Developing the ability to separate ego from output, she believes, is a crucial skill for success.
12. Don’t work for rates that you can’t sustain
Emily says “It’s so tempting to go back to a client and ask how we can change our quote to suit their budget. But ‘no’ is a full sentence. If a prospect says no, move on instead of twisting your quote into something unsustainable long-term.”
13. Ask your team for input whenever possible (being mindful of their roles and time)
She encourages business owners to seek team input where appropriate, fostering engagement and a sense of shared accomplishment within the business. “How aewsome that my team cares enough to contribute to the brand and business. Why wouldn’t we want to use and try and develop those ideas?”
14. Don’t pretend your business is bigger than it is
Emily recalls “it’s tempting to try and make your service-based business look further along or bigger than it is in the beginning. Try and resist that urge. What your target market wants is a trusted, reliable and accessible partner. Own it.”
15. Push yourself outside your comfort zone often
Emily lives by this. Why? In her words: “One, that’s how you grow. Two, it feels so amazing once you do it, like presenting on a Zoom to 100+ people, or training 30+ people in person. Three years ago that would have been the plot point of my nightmare – now I’ve done both and have another personal branding workshop coming up!”
What Comes Next?
Reflecting on the last two years, Emily is excited about what the future holds. “Happy birthday to us! Currently, we’re looking to expand our book of retainer clients for SMEs. We’re also exploring how we can service smaller businesses like solopreneurs. We’re hoping to get together downloadable products and develop workshops.”
It’s safe to say that the future is looking bright for Brandshake and, by leveraging Emily’s advice and expertise, small business owners can feel confident too. To learn more about Brandshake, visit their website or connect with them on Instagram.
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