The Power of Partnerships: Growing a Marketing Agency Through Relationships and Teamwork

This week, Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guests, Grace Kwak and Alexis Toney. The three talk about the challenges of standing out in an intensely crowded marketing space, the crucial role of relationships and referrals in their growth, and the lessons they've learned from early hiring decisions and business setbacks. In this episode, we discuss: How Background Noise got started What has kept the team motivated and growing in a crowded marketing environment space When to hire and scale a team in a small agency Why partnering with other agencies is part of their growth strategy Who benefits from keeping in touch How setbacks and surprises shape leadership   Grace Kwak is a growth marketing expert who has spent her career shaping customer journeys from every angle – working within agencies and startups alike – Grace Kwak's newest chapter is leading growth, marketing strategy and analytics at Background Noise. As a first-generation Korean-American, Grace is actively aware of how experiences vary from person to person, and how brands must keep diversity of customer experiences top-of-mind at all times. Across her career, she's contributed to growth for brands including Cecred, Taco Bell, Follain, Papa John's, Hint Water, Dunkin Donuts, NBC Sports, COTY, Lysol, Mucinex, and American Family Insurance. She's been internally honored for her contributions, earning an MVP award at Mindshare and a Person of New York award at Performics. She's contributed to internal presentations around International Women's Day Webinar at Big Spaceship, growth marketing for We Are Rosie and is published with MediaPost. Alexis Toney is a strategy and innovation leader who has built her career at the intersection of data, creativity, and cultural storytelling – Alexis Toney is the Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Background Noise. She drives brand innovation through research, analytics, and strategy, overseeing proprietary market research and social listening tools that help clients stay ahead of the curve. With more than eight years of experience in performance analytics, media strategy, and marketing intelligence, Alexis has shaped growth strategies for brands across industries while championing people-first insights. Her career path spans roles at Big Spaceship, Ovadia & Sons, and Laundry Service, where she led research, eCommerce, and media strategy initiatives. At Background Noise, Alexis contributed to the launch of Cécred and has collaborated with brands such as Google, Sony, NBC Sports, UPS, Weight Watchers, and Papa Johns throughout her career. Her work has been recognized with honors including Adweek Media Rising Star and the ADCOLOR Future Award. Based in Brooklyn, Alexis balances her data-driven leadership by day with her creative side as a DJ, music producer, and drummer by night. Website: https://www.backgroundnoise.co/ Social Media Links:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracejkwak/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexistoney/

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